Derek Ward
@dward-bham.bsky.social
Professor of Public Health and Medical Education at the University of Birmingham, UK. Interested in public health, medical education and HTA. Atheist/humanist. He/Him.
Reposted by Derek Ward
I don't know who needs to hear this, but cops are not allowed to shoot people just because you didn't do what they said.
That is called murder when they do that.
Some cops are working hard to convince people otherwise.
That is called murder when they do that.
Some cops are working hard to convince people otherwise.
January 8, 2026 at 5:35 AM
I don't know who needs to hear this, but cops are not allowed to shoot people just because you didn't do what they said.
That is called murder when they do that.
Some cops are working hard to convince people otherwise.
That is called murder when they do that.
Some cops are working hard to convince people otherwise.
Reposted by Derek Ward
I just left the Venezuela briefing.
It's worse than you thought.
Oil company executives seem to know more about Trump's secret plan to "run" Venezuela than the American people.
We need public Senate hearings NOW.
It's worse than you thought.
Oil company executives seem to know more about Trump's secret plan to "run" Venezuela than the American people.
We need public Senate hearings NOW.
January 7, 2026 at 6:12 PM
I just left the Venezuela briefing.
It's worse than you thought.
Oil company executives seem to know more about Trump's secret plan to "run" Venezuela than the American people.
We need public Senate hearings NOW.
It's worse than you thought.
Oil company executives seem to know more about Trump's secret plan to "run" Venezuela than the American people.
We need public Senate hearings NOW.
Reposted by Derek Ward
Electric Road right of way update: Campaigners are now looking for people aged 55+ who used the Bulstake Path or the Electric Road before 2000, (ideally before 1980), even if they no longer live in Oxford, in order to establish evidence of regular use of the paths for at least 20 years before 2000.
Campaigners are seeking statements from anyone who has walked Electric Road, the path from Osney Mead to South Hinksey. The path is not yet formally a public right of way, meaning access could be withdrawn at any time; the campaign aims to apply for it to become one.
January 7, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Electric Road right of way update: Campaigners are now looking for people aged 55+ who used the Bulstake Path or the Electric Road before 2000, (ideally before 1980), even if they no longer live in Oxford, in order to establish evidence of regular use of the paths for at least 20 years before 2000.
Reposted by Derek Ward
The outcome of any democratic election depends not just on how voters cast their ballot…
…but also how the electoral system processes them.
By Professor Sir John Curtice
…but also how the electoral system processes them.
By Professor Sir John Curtice
Why the electoral system matters – Holyrood election 2026
The outcome of any democratic election depends on how voters cast their ballot, yet the electoral system shapes the result too
bylines.scot
January 6, 2026 at 1:18 PM
The outcome of any democratic election depends not just on how voters cast their ballot…
…but also how the electoral system processes them.
By Professor Sir John Curtice
…but also how the electoral system processes them.
By Professor Sir John Curtice
Reposted by Derek Ward
A reminder - before Trump, MAGA, Musk and Fox rewrote history - that this is what the entire country agreed had happened five years ago today:
January 6, 2026 at 12:40 PM
A reminder - before Trump, MAGA, Musk and Fox rewrote history - that this is what the entire country agreed had happened five years ago today:
Reposted by Derek Ward
How can we improve people's health in 2026? Speak to them, says Tracy Daszkiewicz.
This month on the podcast we're joined by Greg Fell @adphuk.bsky.social and Tracy Daszkiewicz @fphuk.bsky.social to talk about their hopes and fears for the year.
🎧 Listen now: shows.acast.com/rsph-present...
This month on the podcast we're joined by Greg Fell @adphuk.bsky.social and Tracy Daszkiewicz @fphuk.bsky.social to talk about their hopes and fears for the year.
🎧 Listen now: shows.acast.com/rsph-present...
RSPH Presents: Spread the Health
Listen to episodes and learn more about RSPH Presents: Spread the Health. From government policies to the air we breathe, the high streets we shop on, the food on our plates, and the places we live…
shows.acast.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:30 AM
How can we improve people's health in 2026? Speak to them, says Tracy Daszkiewicz.
This month on the podcast we're joined by Greg Fell @adphuk.bsky.social and Tracy Daszkiewicz @fphuk.bsky.social to talk about their hopes and fears for the year.
🎧 Listen now: shows.acast.com/rsph-present...
This month on the podcast we're joined by Greg Fell @adphuk.bsky.social and Tracy Daszkiewicz @fphuk.bsky.social to talk about their hopes and fears for the year.
🎧 Listen now: shows.acast.com/rsph-present...
Reposted by Derek Ward
Our online course 'Introducing humanism: non-religious approaches to life' led by writer, broadcaster, and humanist Sandi Toksvig, is now available and free to access for everyone. Learn something new in 2026, and start learning with Sandi today.
courses.understandinghumanism.org.uk/courses/intr...
courses.understandinghumanism.org.uk/courses/intr...
Introducing Humanism: non-religious approaches to life, with Sandi Toksvig
Click here to start the course Learn about how humanists approach life’s big questions Humanism is a non-religious, ethical world view shared by millions of people around the world. Humanists believe ...
courses.understandinghumanism.org.uk
January 6, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Our online course 'Introducing humanism: non-religious approaches to life' led by writer, broadcaster, and humanist Sandi Toksvig, is now available and free to access for everyone. Learn something new in 2026, and start learning with Sandi today.
courses.understandinghumanism.org.uk/courses/intr...
courses.understandinghumanism.org.uk/courses/intr...
Reposted by Derek Ward
One example of how Grok is being used to target women. Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch being sexualised, degraded, and humiliated step-by-step by Grok. All the images accurately reflect the prompts provided.
January 5, 2026 at 5:37 PM
One example of how Grok is being used to target women. Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch being sexualised, degraded, and humiliated step-by-step by Grok. All the images accurately reflect the prompts provided.
Reposted by Derek Ward
This is a good explanation of how Large Language Models (Generative AI, ChatGPT, that sort of thing) actually work.
youtu.be/NKnZYvZA7w4?...
youtu.be/NKnZYvZA7w4?...
How LLMs Actually Generate Text (Every Dev Should Know This)
YouTube video by LearnThatStack
youtu.be
January 4, 2026 at 4:47 PM
This is a good explanation of how Large Language Models (Generative AI, ChatGPT, that sort of thing) actually work.
youtu.be/NKnZYvZA7w4?...
youtu.be/NKnZYvZA7w4?...
Reposted by Derek Ward
December 31, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by Derek Ward
How do we stop junior doctors leaving for Australia asks The Times which has called their strike for better pay "reckless and self-indulgent".
December 31, 2025 at 2:51 PM
How do we stop junior doctors leaving for Australia asks The Times which has called their strike for better pay "reckless and self-indulgent".
Reposted by Derek Ward
BREAKING NEWS: Actual facts appear for the first time on "Truth" Social.
December 30, 2025 at 7:47 PM
BREAKING NEWS: Actual facts appear for the first time on "Truth" Social.
Reposted by Derek Ward
"The reason so many of yesterday’s free-speech champions transitioned so easily into today’s pro-Trump censors is that their definition of free speech never included the right of others to talk back." @adamserwer.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
The Triumph of Free-Speech Hypocrisy
What the 60 Minutes scandal reveals
www.theatlantic.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:01 PM
"The reason so many of yesterday’s free-speech champions transitioned so easily into today’s pro-Trump censors is that their definition of free speech never included the right of others to talk back." @adamserwer.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Derek Ward
A lovely quote to start the day, by English poet Matthew Arnold, who was born #onthisday in 1822:
Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy’d the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought,
To have done
Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy’d the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought,
To have done
December 24, 2025 at 7:00 AM
A lovely quote to start the day, by English poet Matthew Arnold, who was born #onthisday in 1822:
Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy’d the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought,
To have done
Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy’d the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought,
To have done
Reposted by Derek Ward
Harsh but fair. (Source: www.ft.com/content/11a8...)
December 24, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Harsh but fair. (Source: www.ft.com/content/11a8...)
Reposted by Derek Ward
Goldman: This guy is so clearly trying to follow the Putin model—using the government to make money, making sure his allies control the most important companies in the country, including our media companies, doling out money by deregulating their industries, and taking money from them in return…
December 21, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Goldman: This guy is so clearly trying to follow the Putin model—using the government to make money, making sure his allies control the most important companies in the country, including our media companies, doling out money by deregulating their industries, and taking money from them in return…
Reposted by Derek Ward
2025 has been a speed competition in normalising racism. And as Toni Morrison said, the serious function of racism is distraction. So 2025 has topped the charts in distraction from the real work to achieve societal progress.
Wishing you a less distracted 2026.
northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...
Wishing you a less distracted 2026.
northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...
The normalisation of far-right rhetoric on immigration
People who have escaped the unimaginable horror of torture are increasingly being targeted by far-right violence in the UK
northeastbylines.co.uk
December 20, 2025 at 9:43 AM
2025 has been a speed competition in normalising racism. And as Toni Morrison said, the serious function of racism is distraction. So 2025 has topped the charts in distraction from the real work to achieve societal progress.
Wishing you a less distracted 2026.
northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...
Wishing you a less distracted 2026.
northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...
Reposted by Derek Ward
Huge announcement! We’re delighted to welcome Janet Ellis as our next President. 🎉
Janet is a brilliant communicator with a unique ability to connect with people, and she embodies the warmth, curiosity, and compassion at the heart of the humanist outlook.
Welcome! humanists.uk/2025/12/16/b...
Janet is a brilliant communicator with a unique ability to connect with people, and she embodies the warmth, curiosity, and compassion at the heart of the humanist outlook.
Welcome! humanists.uk/2025/12/16/b...
December 18, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Huge announcement! We’re delighted to welcome Janet Ellis as our next President. 🎉
Janet is a brilliant communicator with a unique ability to connect with people, and she embodies the warmth, curiosity, and compassion at the heart of the humanist outlook.
Welcome! humanists.uk/2025/12/16/b...
Janet is a brilliant communicator with a unique ability to connect with people, and she embodies the warmth, curiosity, and compassion at the heart of the humanist outlook.
Welcome! humanists.uk/2025/12/16/b...
Reposted by Derek Ward
Thank goodness for that. Something that shouldn’t have happened, happened. And now it’s set to unhappen. Great for students, great for research in general and great for Britain.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme
Exclusive: British students will be able to participate in EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources say
www.theguardian.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Thank goodness for that. Something that shouldn’t have happened, happened. And now it’s set to unhappen. Great for students, great for research in general and great for Britain.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Reposted by Derek Ward
Mis and dis information. Notes for PH professionals
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2025/12/14/m...
1. Why it matters. Direct and indirect harm
2. Why it happens
3. It's not new
4. How it happens
5. Tactics to combat. Individual and systemic
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2025/12/14/m...
1. Why it matters. Direct and indirect harm
2. Why it happens
3. It's not new
4. How it happens
5. Tactics to combat. Individual and systemic
December 14, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Mis and dis information. Notes for PH professionals
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2025/12/14/m...
1. Why it matters. Direct and indirect harm
2. Why it happens
3. It's not new
4. How it happens
5. Tactics to combat. Individual and systemic
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2025/12/14/m...
1. Why it matters. Direct and indirect harm
2. Why it happens
3. It's not new
4. How it happens
5. Tactics to combat. Individual and systemic
Reposted by Derek Ward
Latest monthly visa application figures are out.
Skilled workers? Still dropping.
Health & care workers? Still dropping.
Slow clap.
Skilled workers? Still dropping.
Health & care workers? Still dropping.
Slow clap.
December 11, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Latest monthly visa application figures are out.
Skilled workers? Still dropping.
Health & care workers? Still dropping.
Slow clap.
Skilled workers? Still dropping.
Health & care workers? Still dropping.
Slow clap.
Reposted by Derek Ward
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
An effective public health response to the next pandemic demands learning from past mistakes
Public health needs proper funding, effective lines of communication, and support for its workforce to respond to future emergencies
@tracyd-ph.bsky.social @fphuk.bsky.social
An effective public health response to the next pandemic demands learning from past mistakes
Public health needs proper funding, effective lines of communication, and support for its workforce to respond to future emergencies
@tracyd-ph.bsky.social @fphuk.bsky.social
An effective public health response to the next pandemic demands learning from past mistakes
Public health needs proper funding, effective lines of communication, and support for its workforce to respond to future emergencies, writes Tracy Daszkiewicz
The UK covid-19 inquiry’s second report...
www.bmj.com
December 12, 2025 at 8:56 PM
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
An effective public health response to the next pandemic demands learning from past mistakes
Public health needs proper funding, effective lines of communication, and support for its workforce to respond to future emergencies
@tracyd-ph.bsky.social @fphuk.bsky.social
An effective public health response to the next pandemic demands learning from past mistakes
Public health needs proper funding, effective lines of communication, and support for its workforce to respond to future emergencies
@tracyd-ph.bsky.social @fphuk.bsky.social
Reposted by Derek Ward
We’ve got 8 PhD studentships open in Durham for interdisciplinary research, especially projects sitting at the intersection of humanities and sciences. Many music psychology projects can tick these boxes! Feel free to get in touch www.durham.ac.uk/departments/...
PhD Studentships in Transformative Humanities - Durham University
www.durham.ac.uk
December 12, 2025 at 9:04 PM
We’ve got 8 PhD studentships open in Durham for interdisciplinary research, especially projects sitting at the intersection of humanities and sciences. Many music psychology projects can tick these boxes! Feel free to get in touch www.durham.ac.uk/departments/...
Reposted by Derek Ward
www.sciencedirect.com:5037/science/arti...
10 yr analysis of growth of harmful product industries on high streets split by income
helpful analysis
More deprived areas were more likely to gain health harming amenities.
More deprived areas were more likely to lose health conducive amenities
10 yr analysis of growth of harmful product industries on high streets split by income
helpful analysis
More deprived areas were more likely to gain health harming amenities.
More deprived areas were more likely to lose health conducive amenities
December 8, 2025 at 8:44 PM
www.sciencedirect.com:5037/science/arti...
10 yr analysis of growth of harmful product industries on high streets split by income
helpful analysis
More deprived areas were more likely to gain health harming amenities.
More deprived areas were more likely to lose health conducive amenities
10 yr analysis of growth of harmful product industries on high streets split by income
helpful analysis
More deprived areas were more likely to gain health harming amenities.
More deprived areas were more likely to lose health conducive amenities
Reposted by Derek Ward
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".