Cassandra Willyard

Great new piece by @cassandrawillyard.bsky.social on the dubious value of diagnostic kits marketed directly to consumers for use at home. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Fixing Bias in Medical Tools and Diagnoses Can Save Lives New formulas, devices and tools are removing historical bias from medical diagnoses

Delighted to be a finalist for NIHCM's Trade Journalism Award. Thanks to @lyrebard.bsky.social for her exceptional editing. And special thanks to the many scientists who helped me understand this complex issue. Here's the story: www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...

#NIHCMAwardsJournalism

Five priorities to remake the FDA in a time of deep uncertainty Two former FDA leaders look at Commissioner Marty Makary’s early stumbles — and lay out a list of priorities to protect both Americans’ health and the critical biotech industry.

Some former senior leaders at the #FDA have thoughts about what new commissioner Marty Makary should — and shouldn't — do as head of the world's premier drug regulatory agency. www.statnews.com/2025/04/18/f...

A beeswarm chart of canceled NIH grants showing the years into each project when the funding was pulled. Each dot represents a terminated grant and is colored by the number of publications associated with the project: none, one to four or five or more. The grants are separated into thee rows based on the award type (R01, U01, U54). RO1 research projects had the most terminations, which occurred at all stages of research, from the project onset to 7+ years in. Most grants were canceled short of the 4-5 year lifespan of a typical grant, and 40% of R01s had no publications at the time of termination. Projects that had been active for longer had more publications, suggesting that more findings are disseminated in the later stages of these grants.

In terminating hundreds of NIH grants, the Trump administration dumped years of investment down the drain. In my latest @opinion.bloomberg.com column, we analyzed the cancelled projects & talked to scientists to understand just how much the public loses out. It's a lot: tinyurl.com/bdey86su

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In support of our host state, NASW, CASW, and SCONC invite #SciWri24 conference attendees and media colleagues alike to donate to Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR) or to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund. Thank you!

go.ncsu.edu/donate-bpr
go.ncsu.edu/donate-ncdrf

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#SciWri24 Attendees: Looking for a workspace to file that story? A quiet room to hide out for a bit? Lactation room? Extra N95 mask? We've got your conference needs taken care of.

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Voting restrictions will be “the fight of the next four years” says Sunshine Hillygus. #SciWri24

"Trauma-Informed Reporting: An Interactive Workshop" #TraumaInformedReporting is one of the many timely professional development sessions we're hosting at the #SciWri24 national conference this fall. Join us! 💚🧪📝

www.sciencewriters2024.org/register
www.sciencewriters2024.org/schedule

Take leadership! Submit your name to run for the NASW Board in 2024 Later in 2024, NASW members will elect officers and at-large members to form the next NASW Board.

NASW Members: Take leadership and submit your name to run for the NASW Board in 2024! As board members, you get to take on the ultimate responsibility of overseeing the health, management, and future of our incredible association. Nomination due date is March 18: www.nasw.org/article/take...

The Next Ninety Years: 90th anniversary address of the National Association of Science Writers On the 90th anniversary of NASW's founding, the 2022-2024 Board of the National Association of Science Writers shares its reflections on the state of the industry.

"Freedom of the press, freedom of information, and access to accurate news are not just professional issues faced by journalists and writers alone—they are intrinsic rights in a free, democratic society." Read the NASW Board's 90th anniversary address, published today: www.nasw.org/article/nasw...

AI is not for replacing writers or artists 👏

Entries for NASW Science in Society Journalism Awards open now Entries for the 2024 NASW Science in Society Journalism Awards are open now. With cash prizes, no entry fees for members, and submissions open to members and non-members alike, we hope that you enter ...

REMINDER: Entries for our NASW Science in Society Journalism Awards are due February 1. As in past years, we offer waived entry fees for members of the AAJA, IJA (NAJA), NABJ, NAHJ, NLGJA, SAJA, Trans Journalists Association, or SACNAS. Nominate your good work today! www.nasw.org/article/entr...

New Nature story up today! Do you love immunology? Well get excited! We're gonna dive deep into efforts to treat autoimmune diseases by restoring immune tolerance. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

NASW Members: Missed our last SciWriSocial? Save the date for our next virtual event Thursday January 25. Open to nonmembers, so bring a friend! Come ask questions about our latest SciWriGrants call for proposals, then stick around for breakout room networking: www.nasw.org/events/nasw-...

Happy pub day to my friend, @rboyle31.bsky.social. Her new book, Our Moon, is part history, part science lesson, part love letter, and all riveting. Go buy it!

I also didn't mention Inner Space, although I desperately wanted to.

Science: Putting your toddler in front of the TV? You might hurt their ability to process the world around them, new data suggests

Poll: 100% of parents who are just trying to keep the goddamn ship from sinking while everyone is home sick DO NOT CARE.

A medical microrobots update from @cassandrawillyard.com, with not one mention of Fantastic Voyage (thank goodness).

www.technologyreview.com/2023/12/08/1...

Immunologists are the best ologists. That's the way I'm feeling today, anyway.

Regarding pitching: "I don't like to do it, but it must be done," says @anilananth.bsky.social. TRUTH. #sciwri23