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Prof Gavin Yamey

@gavinyamey.bsky.social

20K followers 3.4K following 3.9K posts

Hymowitz Family Professor of Global Health & Professor of Public Policy at Duke University. Director of the Center for Policy Impact in Global Health. DJ at WXDU (Thursdays, 4-6pm ET, wxdu.org). TIME columnist. He/him. Tallest Jew on Earth.

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · Aug 12

🚨New peer-reviewed commentary that I co-authored with Chris Beyrer is now out in the journal Vaccine, gift link below

We show the ways in which the MAHA & MAGA guys—RFK Jr, Makary, Bhattacharya, Prasad—have dismantled the US vaccine regulatory framework

authors.elsevier.com/a/1lbDt,60n7...

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VACCINE
Commentary
The dismantling of the U.S. vaccine regulatory framework
Gavin Yamey, Chris Beyrer
Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

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Reposted by Prof Gavin Yamey

Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 9h

This administration is flooding the zone so furiously that people have largely lost track of the lethal attacks on boats in the Caribbean, the gov’t shutdown, the economy, failed release of the Epstein files & so much else. It’s a tactic of would-be strongmen.

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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 4h

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 3h

Read these two posts from @zoonotic1.bsky.social 👇👇

Steve Valeika @zoonotic1.bsky.social · 3h

My wonderful PhD co-chair Alun Lloyd (down the road from you at NCSU) led this fantastic paper that showed how stopping non-immunizing disease control programs leads to rebounds in morbidity that can outstrip what would occur if the control program was never instituted to begin with.

After the honeymoon, the divorce: Unexpected outcomes of disease control measures against endemic infections

The lack of effective vaccines for many endemic diseases often forces policymakers to rely on non-immunizing control measures, such as vector control, to reduce the massive burden of these diseases. C...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Reposted by Prof Gavin Yamey

Christopher Mathias @letsgomathias.bsky.social · 6h

Jack collaborated with neo-Nazi twins to make a documentary. He was a fan of white supremacist Richard Spencer. He has tweeted 1488, the alphanumeric code for Heil Hitler. He wrote an unreadable anti-antifa book. Last year he wrote a book abt the left called “Unhumans.” That he’s now speaking here…

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 7h

From Donald Trump's Roundtable on Antifa just now —
"Antifa has been around in various iterations for almost 100 years in some instances, going back to the Weimar Republic in Germany."
— special guest Jack Posobiec

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 6h

My fave mid-week quick, easy, low-cost, healthy sheet-pan dinner

In a bowl throw baby tomatoes, halved Brussels, can of chick peas, mini egg plants (these are Hansel & Gretels to be precise 😉), a ton of olive oil & mix well

Put on a tray—add sliced feta, olives, sliced lemon, thyme

425⁰F, 20 mins

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Reposted by Prof Gavin Yamey

Sarah Nelson @blueyedgenes.bsky.social · 10h

Just a reminder that if you are a scientist wondering how you can communicate the value of federally-funded scientific research outside of your bubble, @sciencehomecoming.bsky.social is here to help you pitch and publish in your hometown newspaper
sciencehomecoming.com

Science Homecoming

sciencehomecoming.com

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 7h

🎤There's something rather perfect about a band that gets together, releases just one absolutely perfect 7" single & then never records anything ever again

The Jellies, "Jive Baby on a Saturday Night" (1981); the band was from Cambridge, UK & released it on their own label

youtu.be/NV2vzfbxkQ4?...

The Jellies - Jive Baby on a Saturday Night

YouTube video by brunskibeats

youtu.be

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 8h

The center at Duke that I'm fortunate to lead studies the effects of aid cuts; we recently summarized key lessons from our research at www.brookings.edu/articles/nav...

One key conclusion: sudden, poorly planned donor exits, like the one @jamellebouie.net describes, cause disease resurgence & death

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 12h

i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 10h

🍩 Dr Oz would NOT approve—this here is 40 donuts, from Rise (best donuts in Durham IMHO), for my students today as it’s the last day of class before fall break. I happen to think that having the occasional baked sweet treat is RESPECTING THE TEMPLE OF MY SOUL & I think his shaming of people sucks

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Reposted by Prof Gavin Yamey

Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 21h

Excuse me? www.medpagetoday.com/publichealth...

MEDPAGETODAY®
Public Health & Policy > Health Policy
Many With Obesity 'Don't Respect the Temple of Their
Soul,' Dr. Oz Says
— "The only thing they think they control in their life is the fork at the end of their arm"
by Joyce Frieden, Washington Editor, MedPage Today
October 7, 2025 • 5 min read

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Reposted by Prof Gavin Yamey

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 17h

Banning “dangerous gain-of-function” pathogen research is actually just banning pathogen research. TB causes chronic disease, the supposed cornerstone of the MAHA movement. Hard to see ending TB research on treatments as anything but another targeted attack on science in service of destroying it.

Rock Lab @rocklabtb.bsky.social · 17h

Ditto. Thanks for this Sarah. www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/g...

The NIH ordered me to stop my ‘dangerous’ gain-of-function research. It isn’t dangerous at all

Safe gain-of-function research is necessary to identify new treatments for diseases like for tuberculosis — but the NIH has imposed unfounded stops.

www.statnews.com

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

“Kennedy is very effective at using obviously untrue, pseudoscientific garbage to justify wildly irresponsible and dangerous health policies. Lying about monovalent MMR will be one more feather in his cap, with the next generation of Americans paying the price.”

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 1d

I wrote a thing about how this split the MMR up into monovalents is bullshit that Andrew Wakefield cooked up. It will be used to strip access to the MMR.

The MAHA movement continues to destroy public health.

open.substack.com/pub/rasmusse...

The Monovalent Mirage

A pretend alternative to the MMR exists, just ask Andrew Wakefield

open.substack.com

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

You might like this? Classic tunes, played with, um, ukuleles….

theukuleleskacollective.bandcamp.com/album/the-uk...

The Ukulele Ska Collective, by The Ukulele Ska Collective

11 track album

theukuleleskacollective.bandcamp.com

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

I spoke to the GW Hatchet about the future of US health aid

gwhatchet.com/2025/10/06/u...

US must increase foreign aid to combat rising climate-driven displacement: study

The report found that if the United States increased foreign health assistance for displaced people in countries subject to extreme weather events, mainly in the Global South, the country would be abl...

gwhatchet.com

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

If only the NIH Director would step in and help the NIH contractor who has been abducted by the MAGA administration…..

Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

Horrific 👇

Rosa Lafer-Sousa @rosalafersousa.bsky.social · 1d

Over the weekend ICE abducted an NIH contractor when he showed up to a courthouse for his green card hearing. He is documented. His wife is a citizen.

He is also member of the skeleton crew of animal care staff that works through a shutdown, to ensure the health and wellbeing of research animals.

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

👇👇👇👇

Senator Megan Hunt @meganhunt.bsky.social · 1d

No reputable medical or psychological association supports conversion therapy. Being LGBTQ+ is not an illness, and we don’t need to be cured.

We have been working to ban conversion therapy in Nebraska since 2019. With my LB 367, we could be next to ban this inhumane practice.

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 2d

The Supreme Court is poised to overturn 32 state bans on conversion therapy and explicitly legalize the abusive and torturous process.

They don't care how many LGBTQ people this traumatizes and kills.

www.cnn.com/2025/10/06/p...

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

"the actions of the leader of the Department of Health & Human Services have increased stigma, instilled fear & hurt access to mental health and addiction care"

NPR @npr.org · 1d

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.

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.

n.pr

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

👏👏👏👏

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 1d

I just emailed my "Silence" essay to the Presidents/Chancellors and Provosts of the 9 Compact universities as well as those from the 4 orgs with which I have been formally affiliated.

The essay can be found here:

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

and here:

www.linkedin.com/posts/jeremy...

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

I feel like throwing up. Conversion therapy is grotesque, unethical, dangerous, & discredited.

Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 1d

It's not just that they're going to strike down a law against conversion therapy, it's that they're going to do it on behalf of made-up claims from a straw plaintiff who can't honestly show the law affected her at all

Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 1d

One thing about American's widespread distrust and disapproval of the Supreme Court is that mainstream news coverage mostly doesn't dwell on stuff like standing, so people don't even begin to grasp how rigged the Court truly is www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

🚨6 surgeon generals, who worked for Democratic & Republican administrations, say:

"the profound, immediate & unprecedented threat that Kennedy’s policies & positions pose to the nation’s health cannot be ignored....Science & expertise have taken a back seat to ideology & misinformation"

I agree

Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 1d

“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

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

We tried our best 😢

Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

This is sadly very true. After they leave the Trump Administration, they'll get cushy jobs at right wing think tanks or be welcomed back to their universities to give talks about working for Trump & RFK Jr.

Tim Feeney @tfeend.bsky.social · 1d

The worst part is that none of this completely horrendous bullshit will ever impact their elite standing. Apparently there is no amount of knee bending, fraud, and horrible associations that can change that.

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

2 other physicians who are boosting & supporting & empowering RFK Jr & doing his bidding 😔

Clean Observer @hammbear2024.bsky.social · 1d

Sarah Brenner and Tracy Hoeg are all over this too.

Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 1d

RFK Jr, & the 5 MAHA/MAGA MDs & PhDs who he has charged to do his bidding (Drs Bhattacharya, Makary, Kulldorff, Oz & Prasad), are joyfully dismantling the US vaccine system brick by brick while spending much time on right wing podcasts & Fox News being anti-vaxx celebrities living their best lives 😔

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Reposted by Prof Gavin Yamey

Dr. Jonathan N. Stea @jonathanstea.bsky.social · 2d

This guy is in charge of US health care.

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