Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · 9d

Did I ever tell y’all about the first time I was in Paris (recently!), sat down at a cafe, and ordered “French onion soup”? The waitress looked confused and said something to the effect of, “erm you mean onion soup”?! Yes, of course.

Jamie Schler @lifesafeast.bsky.social · 9d

Still my most popular Substack post ever…. all about the real French onion soup and the authentic recipe the french really do at home. Really.

jamieschler.substack.com/p/authentic-...

Authentic French Onion Soup

Top off your New Year’s Eve revelry the traditional French way.

jamieschler.substack.com

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Reposted by Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 10d

"As medical care evaporates it is moms who die in childbirth. As food disappears overwhelmed husbands abandon wives and children. As social order unravels it is mostly girls who are raped. And when times are desperate it is girls who are married against their will."

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/27/o...

Opinion | The Tax on Being a Girl

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH

Erin Lockwood @erinkaylockwood.bsky.social · 11d

Thanks so much for your reporting on this, Ben. I just got an email from my campus's IT office triumphantly advertising free student access to four different AI models -- at the same time as we have a hiring freeze, caps on grad enrollment, and a 7% budget cut -- and wanted to scream.

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Reposted by Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH

Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 15d

Before prescribing leucovorin, doctors would first need to determine whether a patient suffered from the deficiency, Dr. Kesselheim said. How they would arrive at that diagnosis short of a risky, expensive spinal tap was not clear, he said.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...

F.D.A.’s Approval of a Drug for Autism Upends Review Process

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH

Mollie Wood @anecdatally.bsky.social · 16d

It’s hard to know whether talking about these things is helpful or just gives them more oxygen, but the current acetaminophen fire is already roaring so here we go. Most importantly: ACOG affirms their position that acetaminophen is safe in pregnancy bsky.app/profile/acog...

"In more than 2 decades of research on the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy causes neurodevelopmental disorders in children." -ACOG President Steven J. Fleischman, MD, MBA, FACOG

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · 16d

Peak nutrition nerd content, and I’m here for it!

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · 16d

And FWIW a study of medication use during pregnancy in the United States from 2011 to 2020 found that while use of acetaminophen with opioids declined over this period, trends for acetaminophen use remained stable (Mansour et al. AJOG 2024) www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Prescription medication use during pregnancy in the United States from 2011 to 2020: trends and safety evidence

Medication use during pregnancy has increased in the United States despite the lack of safety data for many medications.This study aimed to inform res…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · 16d

Indeed, untreated fever in pregnancy is linked to miscarriage, birth defects, and preterm birth. Unmanaged pain in pregnancy is linked to high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression which are all bad for both mom and baby.

So yes, “toughing it out” and avoiding meds in pregnancy is dangerous.

Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 16d

I’m only now watching longer clips of Trump’s autism disinfo presser and… it’s crazier than I realized? He was unable even to say “acetaminophen” or come up with the word “rubella”; cited his feelings as the basis for changes; and said pregs women should “tough it out,” which is actually dangerous

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · 16d

For you epi nerds inspired to brush up on analytical challenges in perinatal pharmacoepidemiology, here is a nice piece from @anecdatally.bsky.social!

Associations between prenatal acetaminophen exposure & child neurodevelopment: Truth, bias, or a bit of both? pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Associations between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and child neurodevelopment: Truth, bias, or a bit of both?

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · 16d

ACOG and all other professional societies continue to affirm the safety of using Tylenol, also known as as acetaminophen or paracetamol, in pregnancy to treat pain and fever during pregnancy.

ACOG @acog.org · 16d

ACOG reaffirms that acetaminophen is safe for managing pain and fever during pregnancy. No reputable studies support suggestions like those in HHS’s recent announcement linking acetaminophen use in pregnancy to autism; in fact, high-quality studies show no such risk. https://bit.ly/47Wxc59

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · 23d

Filling the gap left by flailing federal public health surveillance efforts…

Richard M. Carpiano, PhD, MPH @rmcarpiano.medsky.social · 23d

Nice local level measles data reporting infrastructure and database detailed here...

🛟😷 medsky health policy sociology idsky

Tracking County-Level Measles Cases in the US

This case series explores an online data collection and sharing infrastructure that centralizes tracking of measles cases from counties across the US.

jamanetwork.com

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Reposted by Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH

Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 23d

Some personal news:

I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting.

Thread incoming.

substack.com/@karenattiah...

The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.

I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.

substack.com

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Reposted by Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 24d

A deep dive into the destruction of US cancer research by @jonathanmahler.bsky.social “It’s an absolutely unmitigated disaster,” a former top official at NIH told him. “It will take decades to recover from this, if we ever do.” Gift link: nyti.ms/48iH3Cr

nyti.ms

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

That’s the thing, I do think we all agree that moms deserve a positive pregnancy experience & babies deserve a healthy start to life.

Our health policies can make that happen (or not)! These cuts fly in the face of our shared values.

ACLU @aclu.org · Sep 4

Cuts to Medicaid will force rural hospitals to limit services or shut down entirely, making it harder to receive vital maternal health care.

Everyone, everywhere, deserves access to the care they need to have a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Medicaid cuts threaten rural hospitals — and access to maternity care

Medicaid cuts in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill threaten rural hospitals, risking service cuts and closures that could severely limit access to maternity care.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

As always, @petridishes.bsky.social with the most biting and salient satire out there.

Alexandra Petri (@petridishes.bsky.social)

I’m not in James Thurber’s attic any more! right now I’m home yay ! I’m the one who writes this column https://www.theatlantic.com/author/alexandra-petri/ and loves puns

petridishes.bsky.social

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

Are we ready for the next pandemic? Chatting about “The Big One” with @mtosterholm.bsky.social today @gwpublichealth.bsky.social

Michael Osterholm and Peggy Hamburg on book panel

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

Thanks @jaminchin.bsky.social for excellent review work on vaccine mandates! 🙏

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

The evidence is clear:

✅ Vaccines save lives

✅ Mandates improve coverage & keep kids from getting sick

✅ Nearly all parents already choose to vaccinate

Removing school vaccine mandates is unnecessary, unpopular, & will ultimately hurt children. Florida’s kids deserve better. 10/10

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

The U.S. has already seen 1309 measles cases + 3 deaths, the most in decades. BTW measles isn’t just rash + fever. It erases immune memory, leaving kids vulnerable to other deadly infections long after the rash is gone. 9/10 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Measles virus infection diminishes preexisting antibodies that offer protection from other pathogens

Measles virus is directly responsible for more than 100,000 deaths yearly. Epidemiological studies have associated measles with increased morbidity and mortality for years after infection, but the rea...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

However, Florida’s kindergarten MMR coverage was only 88% last year. Measles vaccine requires ~95% coverage to keep it spreading. Florida is already below that—ending mandates will surely drive vaccine coverage down further. 8/10

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

Despite a lot of headlines about vaccine hesitancy, nearly all U.S. parents still vaccinate their kids. Last year, 92.5% of kindergartners got MMR, DTaP, polio, and varicella vaccines. Most exemptions remain rare. 7/10 www.cdc.gov/schoolvaxvie...

Vaccination Coverage and Exemptions among Kindergartners

View national and state-level school vaccination coverage and exemption estimates.

www.cdc.gov

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

Even when states make exemptions easier, kids get sick. States with loose exemption policies had more pertussis (whooping cough) outbreaks—a disease that can be deadly for infants. (Omer 2006) 6/10 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17032989/

Nonmedical exemptions to school immunization requirements: secular trends and association of state policies with pertussis incidence - PubMed

Permitting personal belief exemptions and easily granting exemptions are associated with higher and increasing nonmedical US exemption rates. State policies granting personal belief exemptions and sta...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

Several studies show fewer cases of measles & mumps in states with vax requirements. And Japan had excess flu & pneumonia mortality among younger children after the removal of the national mandate and school-based immunization program. 5/10

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

When Massachusetts introduced a flu vaccine mandate for the 2020–21 school year, kids were far more likely to be vaccinated than in neighboring states without mandates. (Abraham 2023) 4/10 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37814817/

Vaccine Mandates and Influenza Vaccination During the Pandemic - PubMed

Strategies to improve uptake of influenza vaccination may have differential impact based on previous vaccination status and should account for community factors.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Emily R Smith, ScD, MPH @dremilyrsmith.bsky.social · Sep 4

School vaccine requirements are common in many countries & they work! Requiring proof of vaccination for school or childcare increases coverage by a median of 18 percentage points. 3/10 stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/168...

Increasing Appropriate Vaccination: Vaccination Requirements for Child Care, School, and College AttendanceSearchSearchSearchhomehome

stacks.cdc.gov

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