JB Besa

One of those days that I think too much of how others perceive me as a person and friend. Trying hard to peek what my “blind” window looks like.

The longer I stay here, the more I realize that my community will always be back home.

Bouts of sadness, loneliness, and identity crisis are unwelcome but necessary guests in my current life phase.

Being in a graduate student in another country can be an isolating experience, especially in this age that we’re connected through social media. Ironic.

Doing my practicum in a community health center may be a good barometer if I really want to work at the local health system back home. May be in love with the idea but not the actual work.

Always feeling giddy learning about research and coming up with research ideas and methods. Looking back, it’s an interest I nurtured early on and an endeavor I usually received good feedback on. Unless told otherwise, I’ll continue to believe I’m good at it. 😜

Today’s guest speaker in our media class is THE Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Eric Rubin. #academicfanboying 🤩

Indonesia to return death row drug convict to Philippines after yearslong appeal for mercy | CNN Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that a deal has been reached for Indonesia to send home a Filipino death-row drug convict who was nearly executed by firing squad but got a rep...

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that a deal has been reached for Indonesia to send home a Filipino death-row drug convict who was nearly executed by firing squad but got a reprieve due to years of pleadings from Manila.

It truly boggles my mind that "tropical medicine" conferences continue to be hosted, year after year, in visa-hostile, high income countries

I really hope this field wakes up and reflects on who the real experts in tropical diseases are and why they need to lead

The pet therapy is therapy-ing. Also, a feed cleanse! 🐶

How Bluesky, Alternative to X and Facebook, Is Handling Explosive Growth The fledgling social media site has been flooded with new users since the election. It hasn’t all been easy.

Bluesky’s growth has exploded as people seek alternatives to X, Facebook and Threads. The social media site's 20 full-time employees have been working around the clock to deal with the issues that come with hyper-growth.

“The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.” - Marcel Proust

Grad school has been giving me a dozen of glasses, both clear and tinted. Definitely challenging but certainly rewarding.

“You don’t need to grow. As long as you’re being true to your mission and consistently showing up for your people, you’re going to be fine.”

This is what a seasoned content creator advised when I asked how to break the plateau on our podcast’s reach. Reassuring in a world where numbers are king. 🎙️

Interesting how @bsky.app was brought up during our media class earlier at @harvardchanschool.bsky.social . WE NEED A CRITICAL MASS OF PEOPLE TO MIGRATE HERE FROM ❌ 💯

Bluesky now has over 20M people!! 🎉

We've been adding over a million users per day for the last few days. To celebrate, here are 20 fun facts about Bluesky:

In medicine and public health (and in life), expressing uncertainty is as important as telling the truth.

Wouldn’t be here if not for the increasingly biased algorithm of the formerly blue bird app. Oh well. 🥲