Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kathleen Bachynski

@bachynski.bsky.social

19K followers 4K following 6K posts

Associate Professor of public health at Muhlenberg College. History, ethics, epidemiology, sports, injury prevention.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · Mar 8

I love this photo that @melissabender.bsky.social captured of me at the #standupforscience rally yesterday in NYC. I wonder if I could make this my official faculty photo lol @jackiantonovich.bsky.social @kimberlywheiman.bsky.social @archaeoscape.bsky.social @sarahruncie.bsky.social

71 830 5.4K

Reposted by Kathleen Bachynski

Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 14h

Here are the 10 states that will see the highest premium increases for families that lose tax credits if Republicans refuse to act.

West Virginia 387%
Wyoming 382%
Alaska 346%
Tennessee 320%
Mississippi 314%
Texas 289%
South Carolina 285%
Alabama 284%
South Dakota 235%
North Dakota 234%

150 800 1.6K

Reposted by Kathleen Bachynski

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 10h

CNN: “An older couple making $85K/year will see their yearly insurance premiums jump from $7K to $25,000 — 30% of their income.” 😳#TrumpShutdown #TrumpHealthCareTax

This is what Dems are drawing attention to and want fixed. Now, not later.

360 5.1K 10K

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 6h

“They are so dedicated that Mrs. Whitney, 75, made a quilt that hangs in the researchers’ offices.
“It’s a chance for you to give back to humanity,” Brian said. “It is scary getting involved in research,” he said. But “it’s been almost freeing in a way”

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 6h

“His case is so complex that Dr. Bateman described his team’s recent published study as “a call to arms” intended “to draw attention from other researchers to say ‘Hey, here’s a really important person, a really important case, and you need to help figure this out.’”

1 2 21

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 6h

“Mr. Whitney’s brain is full of amyloid, probably even more than other mutation carriers in his family because he has lived so long, said Dr. Jorge Llibre-Guerra, a neurologist at Washington University who coauthored a recent study on Mr. Whitney’s case. But he has very little tau.”

1 7

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 6h

“Researchers call Mr. Whitney an Alzheimer’s escapee. Scientists have so far conclusively identified two others in the world who were resilient to the early-onset dementia their mutations should have caused.”

1 1 7

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 7h

“Dr. Randall Bateman, a neurologist who directs the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network, known as DIAN, at Washington University, was stunned, too.
“We tested him three different times,” he said. “We didn’t believe the results that he was positive.”

1 8

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 7h

“Mr. Whitney agreed to participate and to undergo genetic testing, assuming that he did not have the mutation. But on his 62nd birthday, he learned that he did.
“I was speechless,” he said. “I mean, I was at least 10 or 12 years past when I should have got sick.”

1 9

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 7h

“Because genetic early-onset Alzheimer’s closely resembles typical late-onset Alzheimer’s, studying these families can yield important insights.
“Almost everything we know about Alzheimer’s today comes from these rare mutations,” Dr. Kosik said.”

1 1 10

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 7h

“His mother & nine of her 13 siblings developed Alzheimer’s & died in the prime of their lives. So did his oldest brother, and other relatives going back generations. It is the largest family in the US known to have an Alzheimer’s-causing mutation…Something has shielded him from his genetic destiny”

He Was Expected to Get Alzheimer’s 25 Years Ago. Why Hasn’t He?

www.nytimes.com

2 9 43

Reposted by Kathleen Bachynski

Lauren Ashley Davis @laurenmeidasa.bsky.social · 1d

Psychiatrists have joined other public health groups in calling for the removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

Psychiatrists call for RFK Jr. to be replaced as health secretary

Two groups are calling for new leadership at HHS after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s actions on substance abuse treatment and mental health medications, among other issues.

www.npr.org

25 260 790

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 10h

“It feels like the system for pediatric Covid vaccines is designed on the assumption that parents are vaccine-hesitant,” Ms. Smith said. “It’s extraordinarily frustrating for parents who are not hesitant and want to protect our kids.” cc @jackiantonovich.bsky.social

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 10h

“In Santa Fe, N.M., Caitlin Smith and her partner got their own shots on Sept. 7, but their children were turned away. Over three weeks, she contacted various pharmacies citywide before finding one offering pediatric doses on Sept. 28.
The pharmacist told her he had received only 10 of them.”

1 2 7

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 11h

“In Womelsdorf, Pa., Rebecca Seidel has been trying to find a vaccine for her 7-year-old son. The pharmacist at a nearby CVS said that the store had no pediatric doses and that two other CVS locations didn’t either. So Ms. Seidel contacted the family’s pediatrician — who directed her to CVS.”

Seeking Covid Shots for Their Children, Some Parents Hit a Wall

www.nytimes.com

1 15 35

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 11h

“In their lawsuit, filed in a federal court in California, labor officials said the Trump administration had taken the “legally unsupported position” that a shutdown allows them to terminate staff simply because Congress has not yet appropriated money yet for their agencies.”

Mass Layoffs Trump Is Threatening in Shutdown Fight May Be Illegal

www.nytimes.com

1 1 10

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 12h

I’m glad so many Katherines and Kathleens got screened today!

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 12h

I was in the waiting room for a mammogram today. The staff member called for Katherine and BOTH other women waiting were Katherine and I’m Kathleen, so quite a bit of confusion just ensued

a cartoon of two spidermans standing in front of a nypd van

Alt: a cartoon of two spidermans standing in front of a nypd van

media.tenor.com

2 2 21

Reposted by Kathleen Bachynski

Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 21h

“Secretary Kennedy is entitled to his views. But he is not entitled to put people’s health at risk.”

Six former surgeons general condemn RFK Jr.

Opinion | Six surgeons general: RFK Jr. is a threat to the health of Americans

It was our duty in office to warn of dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today.

www.washingtonpost.com

69 970 3.1K

Reposted by Kathleen Bachynski

Aaron Levine @aarondlevine.bsky.social · 14h

The Carter School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech invites applications for multiple open-rank tenured and/or tenure-track faculty positions with a focus on science, technology and innovation policy.

careers.hprod.onehcm.usg.edu/psc/careers/...

#AcademicSky #PolicySky @appam.bsky.social

1 3 2

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 20h

Oh, how terribly sad. My deepest condolences to all who knew him.

1 1

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 20h

“Now it’s unclear how, or if, the NIH will foster open conversations around scientific and ethical issues involving novel biotechnologies. The loss of NExTRAC is part of a pattern of shedding scientific expertise and patient perspectives in the name of slimming down the federal government.”

They advised federal health agencies on the ethics and impact of scientific research. They’re no longer wanted

The Trump administration has been shedding scientific expertise and patient perspectives in the name of slimming down the federal government.

www.statnews.com

8 15

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 21h

This oped is actually pretty bad. Caldwell claims that “the military of the 2020s has been as overburdened by the imperatives of progressivism as schools were by the duties of racial integration in the 1970s” and that Hegseth “outlined a nuanced vision of the military’s purpose” in his speech.

Opinion | That Hegseth Speech Was Actually Pretty Good

www.nytimes.com

6 7 57

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 21h

“March for freedom highway
March each and every day
March for freedom highway
March each and every day
Made up my mind that I won't turn around

There is just one thing
I can't understand my friend
Why some folk think freedom
Was not designed for all men”

Freedom Highway

YouTube video by The Staple Singers - Topic

youtu.be

1 8

Reposted by Kathleen Bachynski

Nome @nome.bsky.social · 1d

9) People are, all things considered, pretty good.

I see twenty thousand people a day, and maybe two of them are assholes. Even on a stressful day, even in an unfamiliar environment, even hungry and tired and on a timer.

That's a *much* better ratio than folks realize.

4 91 850

Reposted by Kathleen Bachynski

Megan Ranney MD MPH @meganranney.bsky.social · 1d

I know the news is tough right now.

So take a moment and soak in the gorgeousness & promise of the science that led to this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine & Physiology.

WOW.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/h...

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Is Awarded for Work on Immune Systems

www.nytimes.com

5 110 540