Matt Wynia
@mattwynia.bsky.social
ID doc. Dad. Ethics in disasters, which is a lot lately. Professor of medicine and of public health. Posts mine, not my employer’s.
“As of November 5th, [the BU tracker] estimated that U.S.A.I.D.’s dismantling has already caused the deaths of six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children.”
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
www.newyorker.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:51 AM
“As of November 5th, [the BU tracker] estimated that U.S.A.I.D.’s dismantling has already caused the deaths of six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children.”
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
“…two-thirds of the Marist Poll respondents considered 65 to be “middle-aged” or even “young.” “I wouldn’t say [65] is old,” says Susan Jacoby, “but I know it’s not middle age—how many 130-year-olds do you see wandering around?”
www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...
When Does Someone Become ‘Old’?
It’s surprisingly hard to find a good term for people in late life.
www.theatlantic.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:20 AM
“…two-thirds of the Marist Poll respondents considered 65 to be “middle-aged” or even “young.” “I wouldn’t say [65] is old,” says Susan Jacoby, “but I know it’s not middle age—how many 130-year-olds do you see wandering around?”
www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...
Is the counter argument that, in fact, service member ought to carry out orders that are unlawful? Or that service members can’t know what’s lawful and what’s not? Or that no order from the President can be unlawful? I’m really curious what they are proposing.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
FBI seeks interviews with Democrats whom Trump called ‘traitors’
The Trump administration has aggressively sought to punish lawmakers who encouraged service members to disobey unlawful orders.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Is the counter argument that, in fact, service member ought to carry out orders that are unlawful? Or that service members can’t know what’s lawful and what’s not? Or that no order from the President can be unlawful? I’m really curious what they are proposing.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
November 25, 2025 at 8:07 PM
“Dr. Chaccour said that while his experience with Dr. B.S.’s letter was funny, the bigger picture is not.”
Q: the NYT used just initials, but should people using undisclosed AI to write letters to journals be named or otherwise sanctioned?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
Q: the NYT used just initials, but should people using undisclosed AI to write letters to journals be named or otherwise sanctioned?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors.
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:36 PM
“Dr. Chaccour said that while his experience with Dr. B.S.’s letter was funny, the bigger picture is not.”
Q: the NYT used just initials, but should people using undisclosed AI to write letters to journals be named or otherwise sanctioned?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
Q: the NYT used just initials, but should people using undisclosed AI to write letters to journals be named or otherwise sanctioned?
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
“…people didn’t necessarily distrust vaccines — they distrusted systems, government overreach, pharmaceutical profits, and experts who didn’t look or sound like them. This wasn’t ignorance. It was a response to feeling left out of the conversation.”
www.statnews.com/2025/05/29/a...
www.statnews.com/2025/05/29/a...
How we beat anti-vaccination bills in North Dakota
You can’t fact-check fear, and other lessons from successful campaigns against anti-vaccine bills in North Dakota.
www.statnews.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:46 PM
“…people didn’t necessarily distrust vaccines — they distrusted systems, government overreach, pharmaceutical profits, and experts who didn’t look or sound like them. This wasn’t ignorance. It was a response to feeling left out of the conversation.”
www.statnews.com/2025/05/29/a...
www.statnews.com/2025/05/29/a...
"...the phrase “defending science” has become a rallying cry for physicians and public health experts, yet...the way health professionals defend science ... can erode the very trust it seeks to build."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Trust in Health Care: Defend Patients, Not Just Science - Journal of General Internal Medicine
Journal of General Internal Medicine -
link.springer.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:31 PM
"...the phrase “defending science” has become a rallying cry for physicians and public health experts, yet...the way health professionals defend science ... can erode the very trust it seeks to build."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
“…assessment will center on activities I can actually observe: students will introduce class sessions, orchestrate discussions, deliver oral presentations, and field questions from their classmates. The work that matters will be the work I witness.”
open.substack.com/pub/stevenmi...
open.substack.com/pub/stevenmi...
AI Killed the Take-Home Essay. COVID Killed Attendance. Now What?
Reclaiming Learning in an Age of Distraction and Artificial Intelligence
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:42 AM
“…assessment will center on activities I can actually observe: students will introduce class sessions, orchestrate discussions, deliver oral presentations, and field questions from their classmates. The work that matters will be the work I witness.”
open.substack.com/pub/stevenmi...
open.substack.com/pub/stevenmi...
“*Potentially* divisive”? Seriously?
“We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas…”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas…”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
www.washingtonpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:39 AM
“*Potentially* divisive”? Seriously?
“We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas…”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas…”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Super interesting piece…
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
The Shocking Truth About Gen Z Voters Is That They’re Pretty Great
Stop panicking: They are the most progressive generation ever, especially on race. If that surprises you, you’ve been listening to the wrong story.
newrepublic.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Super interesting piece…
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
Why was it closed? We can only guess.
retractionwatch.com/2025/11/13/a...
retractionwatch.com/2025/11/13/a...
AMA ethics journal shutters after 26 years
The American Medical Association will cease publication of its ethics journal at the end of this year. The AMA Journal of Ethics, an open access, peer-reviewed journal was founded in 1999 und…
retractionwatch.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Why was it closed? We can only guess.
retractionwatch.com/2025/11/13/a...
retractionwatch.com/2025/11/13/a...
Our obit on the sudden death of the AMA Journal of Ethics, asking why did the AMA kill its ethics journal?
www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
Opinion | In Memoriam: The Sudden Demise of the AMA Journal of Ethics
A great loss for physicians, the profession, and the public
www.medpagetoday.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Our obit on the sudden death of the AMA Journal of Ethics, asking why did the AMA kill its ethics journal?
www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
Reposted by Matt Wynia
🎓 Spring deadline’s near!
Get a Graduate Certificate in Bioethics & Humanities in Health 🧠💬
Online & flexible for health pros. Apply now 👉 www.cuanschutz.edu/centers/bioe... #Bioethics #GradCertificate #CUAnschutz @profgoldberg.bsky.social @mattwynia.bsky.social@cuanschutz.bsky.social
Get a Graduate Certificate in Bioethics & Humanities in Health 🧠💬
Online & flexible for health pros. Apply now 👉 www.cuanschutz.edu/centers/bioe... #Bioethics #GradCertificate #CUAnschutz @profgoldberg.bsky.social @mattwynia.bsky.social@cuanschutz.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
🎓 Spring deadline’s near!
Get a Graduate Certificate in Bioethics & Humanities in Health 🧠💬
Online & flexible for health pros. Apply now 👉 www.cuanschutz.edu/centers/bioe... #Bioethics #GradCertificate #CUAnschutz @profgoldberg.bsky.social @mattwynia.bsky.social@cuanschutz.bsky.social
Get a Graduate Certificate in Bioethics & Humanities in Health 🧠💬
Online & flexible for health pros. Apply now 👉 www.cuanschutz.edu/centers/bioe... #Bioethics #GradCertificate #CUAnschutz @profgoldberg.bsky.social @mattwynia.bsky.social@cuanschutz.bsky.social
“It’s frustrating because you try to reason with the patient on the risks and benefits of these alternative therapies, but you don’t want to come off as judgmental,” he said. “You have to walk this fine line.”
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
How a Joe Rogan-Mel Gibson podcast inspired Florida’s cancer research focus
Following a Joe Rogan, Mel Gibson podcast, Florida wants to study whether ivermectin could work against cancer. There is not yet evidence it would.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:42 PM
“It’s frustrating because you try to reason with the patient on the risks and benefits of these alternative therapies, but you don’t want to come off as judgmental,” he said. “You have to walk this fine line.”
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
“The Congressional Budget Office has revised its forecast showing the [OBBA] will cost taxpayers as much as $8.8 billion — up from earlier estimates of $4.9 billion — over 10 years…”
The more we learn, the worse that bill is.
www.statnews.com/pharmalot/20...
The more we learn, the worse that bill is.
www.statnews.com/pharmalot/20...
CBO says revised cost of orphan drug exemptions will add $3.9 billion to Medicare
The Congressional Budget Office says exemptions for orphan drugs as part of Medicare price negotiations will cost taxpayers an additional $3.9 billion.
www.statnews.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:32 PM
“The Congressional Budget Office has revised its forecast showing the [OBBA] will cost taxpayers as much as $8.8 billion — up from earlier estimates of $4.9 billion — over 10 years…”
The more we learn, the worse that bill is.
www.statnews.com/pharmalot/20...
The more we learn, the worse that bill is.
www.statnews.com/pharmalot/20...
"...mRNA COVID vaccination within 100 days of initiating a checkpoint inhibitor was associated with [~doubled] 3-year survival rates compared with no vaccination (55.8% vs 30.6%; adjusted HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.37-0.71, P<0.0001)" www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcover...
Cancer Study Links COVID Shots to Longer Survival
3-year survival twice as high with mRNA vaccine in lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy
www.medpagetoday.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:39 PM
"...mRNA COVID vaccination within 100 days of initiating a checkpoint inhibitor was associated with [~doubled] 3-year survival rates compared with no vaccination (55.8% vs 30.6%; adjusted HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.37-0.71, P<0.0001)" www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcover...
“A shocking amount of American emotional life revolves around our reactions to whatever it is we glimpse out there — and the ways we insist to one another that our reactions, and our realities, are the only non-delusional ones.“
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/m...
Are You Resigned to a World of Bad News? Or Do You Need Some ‘Cope’?
www.nytimes.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:01 PM
“A shocking amount of American emotional life revolves around our reactions to whatever it is we glimpse out there — and the ways we insist to one another that our reactions, and our realities, are the only non-delusional ones.“
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/m...
“Some of Symington's cancer patients curse at her for suggesting they vaccinate or wear masks to protect their weakened immune systems while undergoing chemotherapy.
"I actually had a patient's husband say, 'You only want me to mask because you're a liberal bitch.'"
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
"I actually had a patient's husband say, 'You only want me to mask because you're a liberal bitch.'"
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
In rural America, scarce doctors battle misinformation as they practice medicine
Conspiracy theories about health fill a vacuum created by the lack of doctors in many rural communities. Meanwhile, doctors in these areas say patients have become increasingly distrustful and sometim...
www.npr.org
October 19, 2025 at 1:52 AM
“Some of Symington's cancer patients curse at her for suggesting they vaccinate or wear masks to protect their weakened immune systems while undergoing chemotherapy.
"I actually had a patient's husband say, 'You only want me to mask because you're a liberal bitch.'"
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
"I actually had a patient's husband say, 'You only want me to mask because you're a liberal bitch.'"
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Rather than inspiring others to give more, our abrupt withdrawal of health aid is providing immoral cover for others to withdraw also. We have become a role model for lack of compassion.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/h...
America’s Retreat From Aid Is Devastating Somalia’s Health System
www.nytimes.com
October 18, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Rather than inspiring others to give more, our abrupt withdrawal of health aid is providing immoral cover for others to withdraw also. We have become a role model for lack of compassion.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/h...
RFK, Jr.: "We're doing the studies to make the proof."
That's how it works in court: seek out evidence to make your case, minimize or ignore contrary evidence.
But that's the opposite of how science works. We seek evidence to *disprove* our hypotheses.
www.medpagetoday.com/washington-w...
That's how it works in court: seek out evidence to make your case, minimize or ignore contrary evidence.
But that's the opposite of how science works. We seek evidence to *disprove* our hypotheses.
www.medpagetoday.com/washington-w...
RFK Jr. Links Circumcision to Autism via Supposed Tylenol Use
Kennedy cited two studies, but neither offered proof of causality
www.medpagetoday.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:34 PM
RFK, Jr.: "We're doing the studies to make the proof."
That's how it works in court: seek out evidence to make your case, minimize or ignore contrary evidence.
But that's the opposite of how science works. We seek evidence to *disprove* our hypotheses.
www.medpagetoday.com/washington-w...
That's how it works in court: seek out evidence to make your case, minimize or ignore contrary evidence.
But that's the opposite of how science works. We seek evidence to *disprove* our hypotheses.
www.medpagetoday.com/washington-w...
Americans trust federal science agencies less now than they did at the end of last year, largely due to declining confidence among Democrats...54% now trust the CDC, down from 60% in June and 66% in December 2024.
www.ipsos.com/en-us/axios-...
www.ipsos.com/en-us/axios-...
Trust in public health agencies declines
New Axios/Ipsos American Health Index shows Americans across the board are looking for clearer guidance on health and wellness information
www.ipsos.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Americans trust federal science agencies less now than they did at the end of last year, largely due to declining confidence among Democrats...54% now trust the CDC, down from 60% in June and 66% in December 2024.
www.ipsos.com/en-us/axios-...
www.ipsos.com/en-us/axios-...
“China pushed more than one million people out of their homes in west-central China [25yrs ago]…for the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam. This year, China has been installing enough solar panels every three weeks to match the power generation capacity of that dam.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/b...
Why China Built 162 Square Miles of Solar Panels on the World’s Highest Plateau
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 12:53 AM
“China pushed more than one million people out of their homes in west-central China [25yrs ago]…for the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam. This year, China has been installing enough solar panels every three weeks to match the power generation capacity of that dam.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/b...
America Needs a Mass Movement—Now
Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades.
www.theatlantic.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:59 AM
“the push to approve leucovorin, a generic drug that’s mainly used to alleviate side effects of cancer treatment, as an autism treatment is a sign that the U.S. is headed toward a new era of drug regulation: one where political decisions lead, and evidence follows.”
www.statnews.com/2025/10/14/f...
www.statnews.com/2025/10/14/f...
Inside FDA, career staffers describe how political pressure is influencing their work
Current and former FDA staff said the level of involvement of political officials in nitty-gritty regulatory matters is unprecedented.
www.statnews.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:37 PM
“the push to approve leucovorin, a generic drug that’s mainly used to alleviate side effects of cancer treatment, as an autism treatment is a sign that the U.S. is headed toward a new era of drug regulation: one where political decisions lead, and evidence follows.”
www.statnews.com/2025/10/14/f...
www.statnews.com/2025/10/14/f...
“Indiana Hospital Association has warned that hospitals will see "catastrophic losses" from the changes in Medicaid and other federal funding.”
www.axios.com/local/indian...
www.axios.com/local/indian...
Indiana's rural hospitals can't afford "One Big Beautiful Bill"
Hospitals say that even with the $50 billion rural health fund, they won't be made whole.
www.axios.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:30 PM
“Indiana Hospital Association has warned that hospitals will see "catastrophic losses" from the changes in Medicaid and other federal funding.”
www.axios.com/local/indian...
www.axios.com/local/indian...