Robert Califf
@robcaliff.bsky.social
Robert McKinnon Califf is an American cardiologist who served as the 25th commissioner of food and drugs from 2016 to 2017 and again from 2022 to 2025.
Source: Wikipedia
Medicine
47%
Economics
27%
COVID-19 vaccination and short-term mortality risk: a nationwide self-controlled case series study in The Netherlands - European Journal of Epidemiology
Excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic partly exceeded COVID-19-related deaths, indicating that other causes may have contributed. We conducted a retrospective data-linkage study including all ...
link.springer.com
Interesting new analysis of entire population of the Netherlands. Covid infection causes serious rise in death and severe illness. Covid vaccination prevents death and severe illness.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@steverattner.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@steverattner.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com
This article bluntly raises some difficult issues about corporate influence on the new dietary guidelines.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Measles Outbreak Worsens in South Carolina
Measles cases in South Carolina reached 920 as of February 6, according to an update from the state’s public health department.
jamanetwork.com
Hope my home state can change course on this--its encroaching into my current home in NC!
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Is the Dietary Guidelines' prioritizing of meat about industry lobbying or personal ideology? - Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Is the Dietary Guidelines' prioritizing of meat about industry lobbying or personal ideology? Food Politics by Marion Nestle
www.foodpolitics.com
Dr Nestle with some common sense. The concept of ideology is important.
www.foodpolitics.com/2026/02/diet...
www.foodpolitics.com/2026/02/diet...
Opinion | A U.S. Life Expectancy Milestone
It hit 79 years in 2024, which is a record and regains pandemic losses.
www.wsj.com
Great news no life expectancy, but hard to see how having 5 years shorter life expectancy makes our health system better than other high income countries.
www.wsj.com/opinion/u-s-...
www.wsj.com/opinion/u-s-...
Philanthropy and Congenital Heart Disease
Time to Act
robcaliff272993.substack.com
Some thoughts on congenital heart disease advocacy and philanthropy.
robcaliff272993.substack.com/p/philanthro...
robcaliff272993.substack.com/p/philanthro...
When Misjudging Risk Becomes Its Own Preventable Harm
The Cost of Fear of Rare Side Effects Overshadowing Clear Benefits
open.substack.com
Vaccines and statins--failure to effectively communicate or counter the misinformation is costing a lot of lives, causing disability and costing a lot of $$.
open.substack.com/pub/barryrda...
open.substack.com/pub/barryrda...
Former FDA commissioner: HHS leadership is focused on policy-based evidence, not evidence-based policy
“Doctors are not a flock of free-range chickens wandering about offices and hospitals and making up best practices, one clinician at the time,” writes Robert Califf.
www.statnews.com
An attempt to summarize why evidence based medicine and public health are not opposites (in a short space!).
www.statnews.com/2026/02/06/a...
www.statnews.com/2026/02/06/a...
Robert Wachter & Eric Topol - Discuss a Giant Leap Book
YouTube video by Eric Topol
www.youtube.com
Highly recommend this one if you're interested in where AI in the practice of medicine is headed.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eDH...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eDH...
DeSantis’ Canadian drug import plan in Florida goes from campaign trail to tough realities
The state’s effort has stalled in part because it failed to win over the Canadian drug industry, which has consistently warned the Canadian government that the U.S. program jeopardized the country’s d...
www.politico.com
Not a surprising outcome. Seems to me that if Congress can ok a workaround like importation, it could ok negotiating for a fair price in the first place. Canada never hid its concerns and plans but some people didn't want to hear it.
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Capturing Lightning in a Bottle
The Unique Challenges of Writing a Book on AI and Healthcare
open.substack.com
A good book and nice to see an ECG symbol on the cover as an old fashioned cardiologist!
open.substack.com/pub/robertwa...
open.substack.com/pub/robertwa...
in the long run, govt recommendations should be the result of transparent public dialogue and revealing the basis for scientific recommendations. Dr. Mayne, as I would have expected, lays out the disregard for transparency, balance and scientific analysis.
When Politics Poisons Process: How Ideology and Industry Interests Trump Science in the New Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Recently, the Trump administration announced the updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) with great fanfare.
open.substack.com
This one is highly recommended. Whether you agree or disagree with the guidelines (for example, I like the aggressive tone on "highly processed foods" & continued focus on reducing sugar & salt),
open.substack.com/pub/drsusanm...
open.substack.com/pub/drsusanm...
While at the same time recommending more mass slaughter for meat consumption when the evidence points in the opposite direction. Hope we can all get behind "real food", less ultraprocessing and less salt and sugar!
About Those Dietary Guidelines ...
In some ways, I wish they'd been even worse. Here's why.
bittmanproject.substack.com
Raises some important questions. One that it brings out is the contradiction of opposing the use of animals in biomedical research intended to improve health ....
bittmanproject.substack.com/p/about-thos...
bittmanproject.substack.com/p/about-thos...
Live Free and Die: US Life Expectancy Has a Problem (But It's Not Seed Oils)
We deserve to live until we are old
open.substack.com
I hope we'll take these conclusions seriously. Seems like the infrastructrure to support health is being eviscerated when the data points in the opposite direction.
open.substack.com/pub/jenndowd...
open.substack.com/pub/jenndowd...
The Call I Didn’t Want to Take
I lost my dad to cigarettes. Then I took a call from the vape industry.
open.substack.com
A good survey of what's known and the context. A real dilemma. The lost chance (for now) to keep nicotine levels to subaddictive amounts is especially painful. I'll have more to say in my substack when the time comes.
open.substack.com/pub/theunbia...
open.substack.com/pub/theunbia...
In this video, Podcast Jay says doctors lied about COVID killing patients.
Today, he blames "elites" for breaking public trust.
Today, he blames "elites" for breaking public trust.
This surprised me.
Reposted by Robert M. Califf, Richard M. Carpiano
In this video, Podcast Jay says doctors lied about COVID killing patients.
Today, he blames "elites" for breaking public trust.
Today, he blames "elites" for breaking public trust.
Powerful piece in @nejm.org from physicians in Minnesota "When our patients go without medical care, the harm is not theoretical. It is measurable. Fear doesn’t just keep people away from clinics and EDs, it pushes patients into crisis." www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
We Do Care | NEJM
Physicians throughout Minnesota bear witness to the devastation that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is wreaking. They implore physicians everywhere to raise their voices.
www.nejm.org
Agree that this is a very well written summary of the impact on every day health.
Reposted by Robert M. Califf
We Do Care | NEJM
Physicians throughout Minnesota bear witness to the devastation that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is wreaking. They implore physicians everywhere to raise their voices.
www.nejm.org
Powerful piece in @nejm.org from physicians in Minnesota "When our patients go without medical care, the harm is not theoretical. It is measurable. Fear doesn’t just keep people away from clinics and EDs, it pushes patients into crisis." www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Shared decision-making, informed consent, and the rhetoric of false empowerment
What these medical terms mean and how they’re fueling confusion about vaccines
open.substack.com
YLE does a good job of describing key nuances here. There are multiple levels on these issues that deserve (and have had) serious consideration by medical and public health communities --and of course, the public.
open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
The NC Children’s Hospital
An Idea Whose Time Has Come
substack.com
Sharing my hopes for the NC Childrens Hospital as an example of what could be done to improve the care and outcomes of children.
substack.com/@robcaliff27...
substack.com/@robcaliff27...
Food Politics by Marion Nestle
www.foodpolitics.com
Dr Nestle is embracing the good and questioning the recommendations that seem to be inconsistent with scientific knowledge. Should raise good discussions.
www.foodpolitics.com
www.foodpolitics.com