J. Offir, PhD
@joffirphd.bsky.social
Ph.D. in social psychology. Former researcher in pandemic behavioral risk reduction (non-pharma intervention). Only here to keep up. @[email protected]
Pinned
J. Offir, PhD
@joffirphd.bsky.social
· Aug 23
In The Bad Place, I have a pinned thread of my covid essays & threads, w/ short descriptions of ea. Here's one for This Place, though w/o descriptions, b/c I'm tired. As is true there, I've put them in reverse chrono order, but anything new will post at the end. I flagged ones people liked best:
Updated 📌 list of my essays on the psychology of public health (inc. topics like covid, HIV & reproductive health). As of 8/22/25, there are *31* long-form pieces in this 🧵.
The list starts in reverse chrono. order, but in Oct. 2024 starts rolling forward, so oldest posts are in the middle. Doh.
The list starts in reverse chrono. order, but in Oct. 2024 starts rolling forward, so oldest posts are in the middle. Doh.
I'm watching Harold & Maude while I work, & it just cut to a car commercial that featured Malvina Reynolds' song Ticky Tacky (also once sung by Pete Seeger), & I think if she knew they'd done that, she would be very, very, very, very upset.
Who's idiotic idea was *that*? They've missed the point.
Who's idiotic idea was *that*? They've missed the point.
February 12, 2026 at 2:11 AM
I'm watching Harold & Maude while I work, & it just cut to a car commercial that featured Malvina Reynolds' song Ticky Tacky (also once sung by Pete Seeger), & I think if she knew they'd done that, she would be very, very, very, very upset.
Who's idiotic idea was *that*? They've missed the point.
Who's idiotic idea was *that*? They've missed the point.
218-13. Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, who always votes wrong, was the only Democrat (of 214, total) to vote yea.
Just think if we'd held a majority in the House.
Elections matter, and #WeAreNotThem.
Just think if we'd held a majority in the House.
Elections matter, and #WeAreNotThem.
Breaking: House passes new version of SAVE Act, worst voter suppression bill considered by Congress. Could disenfranchise:
-21 million Americans w/out access to citizenship papers
-69 mil married women who took partner’s name
-21 mil w/out valid drivers license
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
-21 million Americans w/out access to citizenship papers
-69 mil married women who took partner’s name
-21 mil w/out valid drivers license
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The GOP’s “show us your papers” bill Is the latest effort to help Trump take over elections
“If the SAVE Act were to pass, it would be the worst voter suppression law that Congress has ever enacted"
www.motherjones.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:10 AM
218-13. Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, who always votes wrong, was the only Democrat (of 214, total) to vote yea.
Just think if we'd held a majority in the House.
Elections matter, and #WeAreNotThem.
Just think if we'd held a majority in the House.
Elections matter, and #WeAreNotThem.
Bud Cort, Who Starred in 1971’s ‘Harold and Maude,’ Dies at 77
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:50 AM
We're rightly furious with anti-vaxxers for being so irresponsible w/ everyone's health. But we have responsibilities, too: to know what the enemies of public health are up to, & to work against them. Pls. read this 🧵 to learn how the anti-vax crusade is at work in every state & what to do about it.
🚨 Mandates are critical to vaccine uptake. Having recently undermined both so successfully through the CDC ACIP, antivaxxers are now taking their fight to state legislatures.
This is an important piece, w/ links to those state fights. What to know & what to do:
🧵
www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/v...
This is an important piece, w/ links to those state fights. What to know & what to do:
🧵
www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/v...
With new vaccine schedule secured, RFK Jr. allies head to statehouses
The overhaul of the federal vaccine schedule sent shockwaves through American health care. Now battles over vaccine laws are moving to statehouses across the country.
www.statnews.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:13 AM
We're rightly furious with anti-vaxxers for being so irresponsible w/ everyone's health. But we have responsibilities, too: to know what the enemies of public health are up to, & to work against them. Pls. read this 🧵 to learn how the anti-vax crusade is at work in every state & what to do about it.
James Van Der Beek has died of colorectal cancer at age 48.
The American Cancer Society now recommends that people at average risk of colorectal cancer start colonoscopy screenings at age 45, b/c so many younger folks are getting ill.
Get yer' colonoscopy, Gen X!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/a...
The American Cancer Society now recommends that people at average risk of colorectal cancer start colonoscopy screenings at age 45, b/c so many younger folks are getting ill.
Get yer' colonoscopy, Gen X!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/a...
James Van Der Beek, Teenage Heartthrob of ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ Dies at 48
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 8:37 PM
James Van Der Beek has died of colorectal cancer at age 48.
The American Cancer Society now recommends that people at average risk of colorectal cancer start colonoscopy screenings at age 45, b/c so many younger folks are getting ill.
Get yer' colonoscopy, Gen X!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/a...
The American Cancer Society now recommends that people at average risk of colorectal cancer start colonoscopy screenings at age 45, b/c so many younger folks are getting ill.
Get yer' colonoscopy, Gen X!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/a...
🚨 Mandates are critical to vaccine uptake. Having recently undermined both so successfully through the CDC ACIP, antivaxxers are now taking their fight to state legislatures.
This is an important piece, w/ links to those state fights. What to know & what to do:
🧵
www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/v...
This is an important piece, w/ links to those state fights. What to know & what to do:
🧵
www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/v...
With new vaccine schedule secured, RFK Jr. allies head to statehouses
The overhaul of the federal vaccine schedule sent shockwaves through American health care. Now battles over vaccine laws are moving to statehouses across the country.
www.statnews.com
February 11, 2026 at 8:27 PM
🚨 Mandates are critical to vaccine uptake. Having recently undermined both so successfully through the CDC ACIP, antivaxxers are now taking their fight to state legislatures.
This is an important piece, w/ links to those state fights. What to know & what to do:
🧵
www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/v...
This is an important piece, w/ links to those state fights. What to know & what to do:
🧵
www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/v...
ICYMI: Measles is again endemic in the UK. Congratulations, British friends.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
UK loses measles elimination status
Decision made after outbreaks in 2024, when there were nearly 3,000 cases in England and Wales.
www.bbc.com
February 11, 2026 at 7:21 PM
ICYMI: Measles is again endemic in the UK. Congratulations, British friends.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
February 11, 2026 at 3:50 AM
New York makes two! C'mon, blue states - time to join up.
The partnership will allow NY to "provide technical assistance and capacity-building support while gaining earlier access to global outbreak intelligence" & improving preparedness for emerging PH threats.
cbs6albany.com/news/local/g...
The partnership will allow NY to "provide technical assistance and capacity-building support while gaining earlier access to global outbreak intelligence" & improving preparedness for emerging PH threats.
cbs6albany.com/news/local/g...
February 11, 2026 at 3:25 AM
New York makes two! C'mon, blue states - time to join up.
The partnership will allow NY to "provide technical assistance and capacity-building support while gaining earlier access to global outbreak intelligence" & improving preparedness for emerging PH threats.
cbs6albany.com/news/local/g...
The partnership will allow NY to "provide technical assistance and capacity-building support while gaining earlier access to global outbreak intelligence" & improving preparedness for emerging PH threats.
cbs6albany.com/news/local/g...
Social drinking is linked to addiction, violence, & accidents - and experts should have said so a month ago when Oz first mouthed off about alcohol's utility as a "social lunricant." (I said something, below, but I'm not an expert on alcohol use.)
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...
February 11, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Social drinking is linked to addiction, violence, & accidents - and experts should have said so a month ago when Oz first mouthed off about alcohol's utility as a "social lunricant." (I said something, below, but I'm not an expert on alcohol use.)
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...
"A small group of conservative activists has worked for 16 years to stop all government efforts to fight climate change. Their efforts seem poised to pay off."
I'd wonder how they sleep at night, but the truth is that monsters like this sleep far better than I do.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/c...
I'd wonder how they sleep at night, but the truth is that monsters like this sleep far better than I do.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/c...
Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:29 AM
"A small group of conservative activists has worked for 16 years to stop all government efforts to fight climate change. Their efforts seem poised to pay off."
I'd wonder how they sleep at night, but the truth is that monsters like this sleep far better than I do.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/c...
I'd wonder how they sleep at night, but the truth is that monsters like this sleep far better than I do.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/c...
This is a problem; it's not policy that wins elections, but (much of the time) money.
Find some candidates you like & donate. Or if you aren't sure where your contributions could help most, donate to the seats we can most easily flip & need most to defend.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Find some candidates you like & donate. Or if you aren't sure where your contributions could help most, donate to the seats we can most easily flip & need most to defend.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Republican Cash Edge Threatens to Swamp Democrats in the Midterms
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:24 AM
This is a problem; it's not policy that wins elections, but (much of the time) money.
Find some candidates you like & donate. Or if you aren't sure where your contributions could help most, donate to the seats we can most easily flip & need most to defend.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Find some candidates you like & donate. Or if you aren't sure where your contributions could help most, donate to the seats we can most easily flip & need most to defend.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Reposted by J. Offir, PhD
Journalists have often asked me how vaccine policy in the US could impact Canadians. I've repeated that one way, among many, is by fundamentally altering the value proposition for vaccine research and development. And so it begins.
More reporting: At the WEF in Davos, Moderna’s CEO said Moderna will "stop investing in late-stage vaccine trials that are a crucial part of the approval process," b/c “You cannot make a return on investment if you don’t have access to the U.S. market."
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
February 11, 2026 at 2:09 AM
Journalists have often asked me how vaccine policy in the US could impact Canadians. I've repeated that one way, among many, is by fundamentally altering the value proposition for vaccine research and development. And so it begins.
More reporting: At the WEF in Davos, Moderna’s CEO said Moderna will "stop investing in late-stage vaccine trials that are a crucial part of the approval process," b/c “You cannot make a return on investment if you don’t have access to the U.S. market."
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
February 11, 2026 at 1:53 AM
More reporting: At the WEF in Davos, Moderna’s CEO said Moderna will "stop investing in late-stage vaccine trials that are a crucial part of the approval process," b/c “You cannot make a return on investment if you don’t have access to the U.S. market."
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
Thank goodness - no indictments of Sens. Mark Kelly & Elissa Slotkin, & Reps. Crow, Goodlander, Houlahan & Deluzio, who used their 1A rights to speak facts.
I just wish the news would start including the cost to taxpayers for all of this nonsense at the DoJ.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
I just wish the news would start including the cost to taxpayers for all of this nonsense at the DoJ.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Grand Jury Rebuffs Justice Dept. Attempt to Indict 6 Democrats in Congress
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:46 AM
Thank goodness - no indictments of Sens. Mark Kelly & Elissa Slotkin, & Reps. Crow, Goodlander, Houlahan & Deluzio, who used their 1A rights to speak facts.
I just wish the news would start including the cost to taxpayers for all of this nonsense at the DoJ.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
I just wish the news would start including the cost to taxpayers for all of this nonsense at the DoJ.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Really bad - not just b/c the FDA refused even to review the application after previously indicating they would, but b/c this biotech is very important: the article doesn't mention it, but an mRNA vax could be produced much faster than a std. flu vax, & so, offer a superior fit w/ circulating virus.
The FDA has refused to accept an application from Moderna to review its first mRNA seasonal flu vaccine, the company said, in another setback for the technology that’s been a target of some Trump administration health officials. https://cnn.it/4kt8iyn
February 10, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Really bad - not just b/c the FDA refused even to review the application after previously indicating they would, but b/c this biotech is very important: the article doesn't mention it, but an mRNA vax could be produced much faster than a std. flu vax, & so, offer a superior fit w/ circulating virus.
ICYMI: The terms you use to think about your health care providers matter; your providers' views about the terms you use matter, too.
Mini-essay 🧵: Words matter. But I don't agree with these authors' conclusions.
They note that the term "provider" deemphasizes "professional identity...because differences in training and expertise among clinicians are not recognized; others have found it to be ambiguous and disrespectful."
1/10
They note that the term "provider" deemphasizes "professional identity...because differences in training and expertise among clinicians are not recognized; others have found it to be ambiguous and disrespectful."
1/10
"The term [provider] should not be used to describe physicians, nor should physicians use it to describe themselves, their team members, or their trainees."
www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...
www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...
February 10, 2026 at 11:46 PM
ICYMI: The terms you use to think about your health care providers matter; your providers' views about the terms you use matter, too.
Mini-essay 🧵: Words matter. But I don't agree with these authors' conclusions.
They note that the term "provider" deemphasizes "professional identity...because differences in training and expertise among clinicians are not recognized; others have found it to be ambiguous and disrespectful."
1/10
They note that the term "provider" deemphasizes "professional identity...because differences in training and expertise among clinicians are not recognized; others have found it to be ambiguous and disrespectful."
1/10
"The term [provider] should not be used to describe physicians, nor should physicians use it to describe themselves, their team members, or their trainees."
www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...
www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...
Physicians Are Not Providers: The Ethical Significance of Names in Health Care: A Policy Paper From the American College of Physicians | Annals of Internal Medicine
More than 25 years ago, Pellegrino and Relman noted the increasing commercialization of the learned professions, anticipating what many physicians are increasingly experiencing today: an impairment of...
www.acpjournals.org
February 10, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Mini-essay 🧵: Words matter. But I don't agree with these authors' conclusions.
They note that the term "provider" deemphasizes "professional identity...because differences in training and expertise among clinicians are not recognized; others have found it to be ambiguous and disrespectful."
1/10
They note that the term "provider" deemphasizes "professional identity...because differences in training and expertise among clinicians are not recognized; others have found it to be ambiguous and disrespectful."
1/10
More reporting on CDC public health funding cuts to blue states - this time, programs on the chopping block are in CA, CO, IL & MN. Cuts include grants to state & local public health depts & to NGOs.
Former CDC CMO Deb Houry "noted that Congress had already...
🧵1/3
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Former CDC CMO Deb Houry "noted that Congress had already...
🧵1/3
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Trump Administration to Cut $600 Million in Health Funding From Four States
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:20 PM
More reporting on CDC public health funding cuts to blue states - this time, programs on the chopping block are in CA, CO, IL & MN. Cuts include grants to state & local public health depts & to NGOs.
Former CDC CMO Deb Houry "noted that Congress had already...
🧵1/3
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Former CDC CMO Deb Houry "noted that Congress had already...
🧵1/3
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Reposted by J. Offir, PhD
They definitely could not be.
Even when we had a functional public health infrastructure, the primary reason people got their kids vaxxed was b/c of school mandates. Even among pro-vax folks, the mandate provides a necessary push.
Ex: I don't know what Canada's car emissions testing sys. is, but
Even when we had a functional public health infrastructure, the primary reason people got their kids vaxxed was b/c of school mandates. Even among pro-vax folks, the mandate provides a necessary push.
Ex: I don't know what Canada's car emissions testing sys. is, but
February 10, 2026 at 8:01 PM
They definitely could not be.
Even when we had a functional public health infrastructure, the primary reason people got their kids vaxxed was b/c of school mandates. Even among pro-vax folks, the mandate provides a necessary push.
Ex: I don't know what Canada's car emissions testing sys. is, but
Even when we had a functional public health infrastructure, the primary reason people got their kids vaxxed was b/c of school mandates. Even among pro-vax folks, the mandate provides a necessary push.
Ex: I don't know what Canada's car emissions testing sys. is, but
FL needs to get a prize for "Most Floridian."
Their DPH site isn't keeping measles case counts current, & it doesn't mention vaccination as a "way to prevent" measles; only as "post-exposure protection." In FL, they'd rather open the barn & then go chase the horse.
www.wusf.org/health-news-...
Their DPH site isn't keeping measles case counts current, & it doesn't mention vaccination as a "way to prevent" measles; only as "post-exposure protection." In FL, they'd rather open the barn & then go chase the horse.
www.wusf.org/health-news-...
Measles is spreading across Florida. The state's updates lag more than a week
Measles is highly contagious, and immunization rates in some counties are below the 95% recommended for herd immunity.
www.wusf.org
February 10, 2026 at 8:59 AM
FL needs to get a prize for "Most Floridian."
Their DPH site isn't keeping measles case counts current, & it doesn't mention vaccination as a "way to prevent" measles; only as "post-exposure protection." In FL, they'd rather open the barn & then go chase the horse.
www.wusf.org/health-news-...
Their DPH site isn't keeping measles case counts current, & it doesn't mention vaccination as a "way to prevent" measles; only as "post-exposure protection." In FL, they'd rather open the barn & then go chase the horse.
www.wusf.org/health-news-...
CMS Directilor Oz says there's "a simple solution to the raging measles outbreak in South Carolina." But he won't say "mandate," so here we are.
Over at CIDRAP, Michael Osterholm "likened Dr. Oz’s comments to taking a garden hose to a forest fire." Yupparoo.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/w...
Over at CIDRAP, Michael Osterholm "likened Dr. Oz’s comments to taking a garden hose to a forest fire." Yupparoo.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/w...
Oz Offers Forceful Call for Vaccination as Measles Becomes More Dire
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:37 AM
CMS Directilor Oz says there's "a simple solution to the raging measles outbreak in South Carolina." But he won't say "mandate," so here we are.
Over at CIDRAP, Michael Osterholm "likened Dr. Oz’s comments to taking a garden hose to a forest fire." Yupparoo.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/w...
Over at CIDRAP, Michael Osterholm "likened Dr. Oz’s comments to taking a garden hose to a forest fire." Yupparoo.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/w...
The two-post combo below is good messaging about why Mandates Matter, as I said once on your podcast, @coopspeak.bsky.social @mjnabuurs.bsky.social. Gotta have 'em.
5 months ago
February 10, 2026 at 5:45 AM
The two-post combo below is good messaging about why Mandates Matter, as I said once on your podcast, @coopspeak.bsky.social @mjnabuurs.bsky.social. Gotta have 'em.
Pretty funny, given that Cassidy's the guy responsible for the elevation of their false god in the first place.
Oh, the irony. You might as well have saved us from all this, Bill.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
Oh, the irony. You might as well have saved us from all
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
MAHA Group Pledges $1 Million to Help Defeat Senator Cassidy in Louisiana Primary
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Pretty funny, given that Cassidy's the guy responsible for the elevation of their false god in the first place.
Oh, the irony. You might as well have saved us from all this, Bill.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
Oh, the irony. You might as well have saved us from all
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
Below is a mini-essay (but shorter) about what it was like to grow up in an era of nuclear proliferation. & here's an amazing, absurd, very inappropriate gov. film short shown to elem. kids - made before my time, but we still "assumed the position" in my day. I looked...
www.loc.gov/item/2022604...
www.loc.gov/item/2022604...
February 10, 2026 at 4:50 AM
Below is a mini-essay (but shorter) about what it was like to grow up in an era of nuclear proliferation. & here's an amazing, absurd, very inappropriate gov. film short shown to elem. kids - made before my time, but we still "assumed the position" in my day. I looked...
www.loc.gov/item/2022604...
www.loc.gov/item/2022604...