Emily Mendenhall

The Clinical Divide - Science Politics Introducing a column about the chasm between patients’ experience and the health system.

We are so thrilled to launch a new column at Science Politics, The Clinical Divide by the great Sanjay Basu, MD, PhD! Take a look at his column intro and read some of his recent essays. Many great essays to come!

sciencepolitics.org/2026/03/04/t...

The effort to remove and erase climate science is clearly in service of very specific interests.

An Open Letter from Authors of the Fourth Edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence - Science Politics Twenty-eight scientists say political pressure to remove a chapter on climate science in a manual for judges is a troubling turn for other disciplines, too.

@sciencepolitics.bsky.social just published a letter written by 28 scientists who say political pressure to remove a chapter on climate science in a manual for judges is a troubling turn for other disciplines, too. Take a look.

sciencepolitics.org/2026/03/02/a...

How to Ensure the Most Vulnerable Don’t Go Hungry - Science Politics Advocacy must continue for the people most affected by the turmoil in nutrition support programs.

A great new piece in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social by Lesley Jo Weaver and colleagues on SNAP and why advocacy must continue for the people most affected by the turmoil in nutrition support programs.

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/23/h...

Donors Can Invert the Power Dynamics of Global Mental Health Aid - Science Politics A new multimillion dollar initiative can be a chance for local partners to determine which interventions work and who needs them most.

What a great piece on global mental health in Science Politics by Lauren Yan and Sebastian Peña-Vargas, addressing a new multimillion dollar initiative that can be a chance for local partners to determine which interventions work and who needs them most.

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/20/d...

How Addressing Water Challenges Could Reshape Immigration - Science Politics As climate change accelerates, water scarcity fuels unrest, reshapes rural economies, and pushes people to migrate.

Check out today's great piece by Marcus King on water security in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social! As climate change accelerates, water scarcity fuels unrest, reshapes rural economies, and pushes people to migrate.

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/19/h...

What the New Food Pyramid Tells Us About Science and Culture - Science Politics Cultural understandings about what counts as real food do not always align with nutritional guidance.

I really love this essay by Hanna Garth in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social exploring how cultural understandings about what counts as real food do not always align with nutritional guidance.

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/16/w...

Our Ancestors Coped with the Collapse of Ocean Currents. Can We? - Science Politics Climate history points to past disasters, but it also suggests strategies for survival.

Check on the newest in Dagomar Degroot's column, Horizons of Humanity in Science Politics. "Climate history points to past disasters, but it also suggests strategies for survival."

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/11/o...

Fine Lines - Science Politics Introducing a new cartoon column drawing out the complexities of technology and law.

I'm thrilled to introduce a new cartoon column, "Fine Lines" by Meg Leta Jones in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social, drawing out the complexities of technology and law.

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/10/f...

US Science Can’t Dream Big Without Sustained Funding from Congress - Science Politics Physicists have an idea for a machine that would build the technological advances of the 22nd century. But they need lawmakers to buy in.

We can't dream big without funding. Take a look at our newest piece in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social by Flip Tanedo! "The future of science relies on support for basic research and a culture and environment that builds up people."

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/09/u...

Measles Season Is Here. How Likely Are You to Recommend a Vaccine? - Science Politics While vaccination politics are centuries old, vaccine decisions today are treated like a consumer gadget — subject to the whims of brand loyalty and user experience.

This morning in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social Sanjay Basu discusses the past, present, and future confluences around vaccine dissonance. It's worth looking at history to understand opportunities for the future.

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/06/m...

Horizons of Humanity - Science Politics Introducing a new column on the existential risks and opportunities that will shape humanity’s future.

Okay, another thing: If the ocean is not your thing, but outer space is...

We've launched a new column for space policy, too! The great @dagomardegroot.bsky.social is at the helm for that one: HORIZONS OF HUMANITY.

sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/13/h...

One last thing: This role is extra meaningful cause I get to work w/ wonderful colleagues I left 5 years ago when I pivoted from a faculty job @georgetown-sfs.bsky.social to science journalism. Thx to @emendenhall.bsky.social the Editor-in-Chief of @sciencepolitics.bsky.social for inviting me back!

Ocean Empire - Science Politics Introducing a new column breaking down seismic shifts in ocean policy and explaining why they matter.

🌊I have a new gig. 🌊

Introducing: OCEAN EMPIRE, my new column about U.S ocean policy and foreign affairs for @sciencepolitics.bsky.social.

We are a brand new online magazine housed at Georgetown University. I'm thrilled to bring in-depth news analysis about what's happening to 70% of our planet.

Ocean Empire - Science Politics Introducing a new column breaking down seismic shifts in ocean policy and explaining why they matter.

@fieseler.bsky.social has a new column in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social! Ocean Empire will bring an essay a month.

"The U.S. — this ocean nation I call home — is an empire of political and cultural influence whose reach, at times, seems unlimited."

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/05/o...

Thanks for sharing all of this with me. The historical chapter you read is telling the backstory of the past--I'd encourage you to read the book if you're interested because your arguments here are exactly what I argue: patients must be knowledge partners in care and their rights matter

Social Polarization Has Cognitive Roots But Is Not a Lost Cause - Science Politics Even when social polarization appears inexorable, cognitive neuroscience teaches us how people can individuate and transform.

Check out our new piece in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social by Norberto Grzywacz! He argues, "Polarization threatens democracy itself by undermining norms and institutions, with politicians often prioritizing partisan benefits over the public good."

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/04/s...

More on Invisible Illness in the Abiding Hysteria Podcast! This was a really great conversation.

open.spotify.com/episode/2Qvi...

The Story Linking Migrants to U.S. Fentanyl Deaths Is Powerful. But It Misses the Real Solutions. - Science Politics Public health investments and international cooperation to stop rogue actors would better address the overdose crisis.

Regina LaBelle in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social: "The U.S. cannot stop rogue actors by itself when transnational criminal organizations operate w/o regard to borders & across numerous criminal enterprises...Countering TCOs relies upon international cooperation."

sciencepolitics.org/2026/02/02/t...

The Accidental Astrophysicist - Science Politics She never imagined she would reach the stars.

We are experimenting with some art-of-becoming essays in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social. Malena Rice's writes, "Somehow, despite playing almost no conscious role in the first 18 years of my life, astronomy quietly swelled into an all-encompassing passion."

sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/30/t...

The Current Culture of Medicine Is Failing People With Long COVID - Science Politics Instead of switchboards, long COVID clinics can be incubators to reimagine medicine itself.

We ask in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social: how do we reimagine clinical care for the increasing number of people living with complex chronic conditions? "It’s not just money but also the culture of medicine that’s impeding people’s care." #longcovid

sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/28/t...

The Rupture in Global Health Is a Warning - Science Politics Explore how The Rupture in Global Health Is a Warning for future governance and support systems in health programs worldwide.

Take a look at @matthewkavanagh.bsky.social's essay that considers how global public investment is critical for future engagement, arguing, "A new vision for global health must move toward mechanisms that treat health as a truly global public good."

sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/26/t...

Lessons From William H. Foege, A Global Health Legend Dr William H. Foege, a legend in global public health, passed away on 24 January 2026. His life and legacy offer several lessons for global public health

My tribue to Dr Bill Foege and the lessons we can learn from his inspiring life

Lessons From William H. Foege, A Global Health Legend

@forbes.com

www.forbes.com/sites/madhuk...

It was in part because of this argument that I was also very interested in the useful critiques that some people really disagree with the thresholds theory. I generally find that when we engage in deep and respectful dialogue, we can learn from each other. I have learned that some patients feel the thresholds theory is "pseudoscientific" and others view it as harmful. I find this an important point in part because science politics are at play here. In the critique I've read, the problem is that thinking about these health conditions as anything but having a biological cause and biological treatments may cause people to be dismissed in clinical spaces or prevent scientific discovery. This viewpoint could not be more important. In fact, the ME/LC activist community has been able to drive measurable change through this rallying cry. It's important and in the second part of the book I discuss how remarkable this political movement is and why such collective power matters.

#LongCovid
#ME

@emendenhall.bsky.social

emilymendenhall.substack.com/p/danger-in-...

I don't think that's the project of the book at all. There is no one-size-fits-all solution b/c people's infections and bodies are different. Some people described to me how healing mind-body therapies were. Others have tried everything & have found no relief. Experiences differ widely.

The majority of organizing happening in Minnesota isn’t just peaceful, it’s INVISIBLE. Moms showing up who won’t be interviewed on TV, people whose ICE patrols don’t turn into viral video. The grocery runs, the donations, the people filming bc they happen to be there. Please remember this.

Thank you for this thoughtful analysis. People are only stronger because of your open and collective dialogue.

Your argument underscores the main point of the book: it is urgent to view patients as knowledge partners in clinical settings and to center patients' expertise in their care.

Sects, Money and Global Health - Science Politics An open, honest discussion about how foreign aid can help countries develop systems of local health research and knowledge … and not inadvertently create an elite cabal.

Jishnu Das argues in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social, "Rushing to action only risks entrenching one poorly functioning system of knowledge acquisition with another." It's okay to recognize that reimagining global action may take time.

sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/25/s...

The End of USAID and the Decline in US Global Leadership - Science Politics Thousands of people lost their jobs and millions may die. The US is weaker for it.

Former USAID chief economist Steve Radelet writes in @sciencepolitics.bsky.social "Instead of building partnerships and alliances, the U.S. is now using its power to extract concessions, bully friends and enemies, and enrich itself at the expense of others."

sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/24/t...

New interview up with @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social!

newbooksnetwork.com/invisible-il...