Rachel Wacks, MPH
@rachelwacks.bsky.social
ID+MCH+Repro Epidemiologist. SciComm Warrior. PhD candidate. Swifty. History lover. SexEd champion. Amalgamation of all five Spice Girls. Feminist. Zaftig. Nerd. One me, three opinions. #EpiSky #WomeninSTEM #MedSky
The best part of being a scientist rounding the final corner of my dissertation journey? I know that I can't cry for at least 24 hours after this lash lift or I'll risk deactivating the ammonium thioglycolate. #WomenInSTEM
November 26, 2025 at 5:26 AM
The best part of being a scientist rounding the final corner of my dissertation journey? I know that I can't cry for at least 24 hours after this lash lift or I'll risk deactivating the ammonium thioglycolate. #WomenInSTEM
Reminder, vaccines are:
✔️ Safe
✔️ Effective
✔️ Cause adults
✔️ Safe
✔️ Effective
✔️ Cause adults
Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough.
Pertussis, best prevented with a vaccine, has killed three Kentucky babies in the last 12 months.
kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...
Pertussis, best prevented with a vaccine, has killed three Kentucky babies in the last 12 months.
kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...
Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough • Kentucky Lantern
A third unvaccinated infant in Kentucky has died of pertussis as public health officials urge Kentuckians to get vaccinated against the disease.
kentuckylantern.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reminder, vaccines are:
✔️ Safe
✔️ Effective
✔️ Cause adults
✔️ Safe
✔️ Effective
✔️ Cause adults
Reposted by Rachel Wacks, MPH
UPDATE: Person infected with bird flu in Washington state has H5N5. It's the first time H5N5 has been found in a human
November 15, 2025 at 2:55 AM
UPDATE: Person infected with bird flu in Washington state has H5N5. It's the first time H5N5 has been found in a human
Trying to finish a dissertation in epidemiology, or any science, right now is wild. Like, what do you mean PubMed won't load randomly, every click takes at least 10 tries, and it still probably won't open anything.
November 11, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Trying to finish a dissertation in epidemiology, or any science, right now is wild. Like, what do you mean PubMed won't load randomly, every click takes at least 10 tries, and it still probably won't open anything.
My dad was trying to give me a mid-dissertation panic writing pep talk and reminded me that I've really only ever wanted to be four things: an epidemiologist, a senator, POTUS, and Christiane Amanpour, and I'm almost one of them, and two are still possibilities.
@camanpour.bsky.social
@camanpour.bsky.social
November 8, 2025 at 9:19 PM
My dad was trying to give me a mid-dissertation panic writing pep talk and reminded me that I've really only ever wanted to be four things: an epidemiologist, a senator, POTUS, and Christiane Amanpour, and I'm almost one of them, and two are still possibilities.
@camanpour.bsky.social
@camanpour.bsky.social
We're living in increasingly unfergalicious times
November 2, 2025 at 2:24 AM
We're living in increasingly unfergalicious times
Is it okay to include the Spice Girls in my dissertation acknowledgements?
October 26, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Is it okay to include the Spice Girls in my dissertation acknowledgements?
Reposted by Rachel Wacks, MPH
Tylenol/autism stuff is bad for many reasons, but it will be used to push the idea that pregnant people shouldn't have pain relief. Women's pain is already dismissed.
September 5, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Tylenol/autism stuff is bad for many reasons, but it will be used to push the idea that pregnant people shouldn't have pain relief. Women's pain is already dismissed.
Medicaid pays for a substantial % of childhood vaccines in FL. Will FL Medicaid/CHIP cont to cpay for the vaccines w/o the mandate? The revocation itself is worst case scenario, but if they longer cover the cost of vaccines? I don't know a word stronger than catastrophic but that's what it will be.
Once again, my home state is at the forefront of FAFO. Vaccines are safe, effective, and allow children to live past childhood.
Florida Says It Plans to End All Vaccine Mandates
www.nytimes.com
September 3, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Medicaid pays for a substantial % of childhood vaccines in FL. Will FL Medicaid/CHIP cont to cpay for the vaccines w/o the mandate? The revocation itself is worst case scenario, but if they longer cover the cost of vaccines? I don't know a word stronger than catastrophic but that's what it will be.
Once again, my home state is at the forefront of FAFO. Vaccines are safe, effective, and allow children to live past childhood.
Florida Says It Plans to End All Vaccine Mandates
www.nytimes.com
September 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Once again, my home state is at the forefront of FAFO. Vaccines are safe, effective, and allow children to live past childhood.
Bama will still be ranked T10 tomorrow and FSU will remain unranked. But we'll always be the #1 party school. Go Noles ❤️💛
August 30, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Bama will still be ranked T10 tomorrow and FSU will remain unranked. But we'll always be the #1 party school. Go Noles ❤️💛
You know, if we, as a society, believed women and girls, we would never have to wait for a list.
July 16, 2025 at 4:06 AM
You know, if we, as a society, believed women and girls, we would never have to wait for a list.
Happy first day of internship year, new doctors! Learn who the charge nurse is and where they like to sit and never, ever sit there. Deep breaths, it's going to be fine. #MedSky
July 1, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Happy first day of internship year, new doctors! Learn who the charge nurse is and where they like to sit and never, ever sit there. Deep breaths, it's going to be fine. #MedSky
Reposted by Rachel Wacks, MPH
Thom Tillis has learned his lesson.
by Susan Collins
by Susan Collins
June 30, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Thom Tillis has learned his lesson.
by Susan Collins
by Susan Collins
I'm dangerously close to my next decade on this earth, I have a whole dissertation to write, the world is on fire in every way, but right now I'm doing a live version of the eras tour in the pool for the wild bunnies in my parents' backyard. Long live. 🩷🪩🎀
June 28, 2025 at 8:16 PM
I'm dangerously close to my next decade on this earth, I have a whole dissertation to write, the world is on fire in every way, but right now I'm doing a live version of the eras tour in the pool for the wild bunnies in my parents' backyard. Long live. 🩷🪩🎀
Reposted by Rachel Wacks, MPH
Medicaid is the primary payer for 63% of nursing home residents. That's your mom, dad, grandma and grandpa.
So when the Senate Republicans cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid this weekend, think: are YOU going to be paying those nursing home bills, or are you going to be changing dad's bedpans?
So when the Senate Republicans cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid this weekend, think: are YOU going to be paying those nursing home bills, or are you going to be changing dad's bedpans?
June 28, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Medicaid is the primary payer for 63% of nursing home residents. That's your mom, dad, grandma and grandpa.
So when the Senate Republicans cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid this weekend, think: are YOU going to be paying those nursing home bills, or are you going to be changing dad's bedpans?
So when the Senate Republicans cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid this weekend, think: are YOU going to be paying those nursing home bills, or are you going to be changing dad's bedpans?
My law degree may be from Dick Wolf, but the way some states pass personhood laws should really be interesting when they try and say a child born in the US, within the state's borders, isn't eligible for US citizenship? When, you know, fetal personhood says it's a US citizen at conception.
June 28, 2025 at 12:20 AM
My law degree may be from Dick Wolf, but the way some states pass personhood laws should really be interesting when they try and say a child born in the US, within the state's borders, isn't eligible for US citizenship? When, you know, fetal personhood says it's a US citizen at conception.
I'm currently in West Palm Beach, in a state that aggressively voted for this...
For anyone near a hurricane-prone area, this is alarmingly bad news.
www.local10.com/weather/hurr...
[1/5]
www.local10.com/weather/hurr...
[1/5]
Critical hurricane forecast tool abruptly terminated
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced it would immediately stop ingesting, processing, and transmitting data essential to most hurricane forecasts.
www.local10.com
June 27, 2025 at 4:42 AM
I'm currently in West Palm Beach, in a state that aggressively voted for this...
Tonight I introduced my fave Jersey girl, my mom, to my 2nd fave, @stephruhle.bsky.social, on #11thHour. It was mom's first time since BW retired. I told mom SR's my fave, she sometimes weeps, and that seeing smart, powerful women *feel* without shame on tv is really empowering. Mom agreed 💕
June 25, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Tonight I introduced my fave Jersey girl, my mom, to my 2nd fave, @stephruhle.bsky.social, on #11thHour. It was mom's first time since BW retired. I told mom SR's my fave, she sometimes weeps, and that seeing smart, powerful women *feel* without shame on tv is really empowering. Mom agreed 💕
Reposted by Rachel Wacks, MPH
We could effectively stop all transmission of HIV today if people were willing to give up capital
FDA approves powerful HIV drug that nearly eliminated spread in clinical trials
FDA approves powerful HIV drug that nearly eliminated spread in clinical trials
The twice-yearly injectable drug’s potential could be compromised by the Trump administration’s dramatic cuts to HIV-prevention infrastructure in the U.S.
www.nbcnews.com
June 18, 2025 at 11:06 PM
We could effectively stop all transmission of HIV today if people were willing to give up capital
Reposted by Rachel Wacks, MPH
Breaking: The Trevor Project received a stop-work order last night on its contract with the national 988 suicide prevention hotline. The Trump administration is eliminating the option for LGBTQ callers to the hotline to press 3 and connect with someone who specializes in LGBTQ mental health.
June 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Breaking: The Trevor Project received a stop-work order last night on its contract with the national 988 suicide prevention hotline. The Trump administration is eliminating the option for LGBTQ callers to the hotline to press 3 and connect with someone who specializes in LGBTQ mental health.
Happy #SER2025???
BREAKING: RFK Jr. fires ACIP, the panel responsible for advising on vaccines.
This breaks a promise to Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to advance Kennedy as HHS secretary on the condition that he would, among other things, keep ACIP in place.
www.statnews.com/2025/06/09/r...
This breaks a promise to Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to advance Kennedy as HHS secretary on the condition that he would, among other things, keep ACIP in place.
www.statnews.com/2025/06/09/r...
Health secretary RFK Jr. abruptly fires CDC vaccine advisory panel
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has taken the extraordinary step of firing the expert panel that advises the CDC.
www.statnews.com
June 9, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Happy #SER2025???
Hi #EpiSky! Nadia Abuelezam and I will have a poster at #SER2025 on solidarity-based epidemiology. Let's talk about the role epidemiologists play in politics! Please fill out our survey. Have a picture of Mookie as a thanks in advance!
msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
June 8, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Rachel Wacks, MPH
Here are some texts I got from an immigration lawyer friend of mine. Shared with permission. Some of the bleakest shit I’ve ever heard.
June 7, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Here are some texts I got from an immigration lawyer friend of mine. Shared with permission. Some of the bleakest shit I’ve ever heard.
Come kick off #SER2025 by visiting me at the first poster session! First time in Boston? Feel free to ask for recommendations, I lived there for 6 years!
June 7, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Come kick off #SER2025 by visiting me at the first poster session! First time in Boston? Feel free to ask for recommendations, I lived there for 6 years!