Gen Wojcik
@genandgenes.bsky.social
1.5K followers 330 following 410 posts
💻 Assoc Prof of Epidemiology at JH Public Health 🛠️ RAGE Lab: Research on Ancestry in Genetic Epi 🔗 www.rage-lab.com
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genandgenes.bsky.social
I wrote about how we must stand and fight against the threat of eugenics.

Fueled by white nationalism and scientific racism, these beliefs are factually wrong and ethically abhorrent.

This fight includes supporting efforts to diversify our workforce & science. To stop now would be a deep betrayal.
Eugenics is on the rise again: human geneticists must take a stand
Scientists must push back against the threat of rising white nationalism and the dangerous and pseudoscientific ideas of eugenics.
www.nature.com
genandgenes.bsky.social
Whoops, wrong hashtag.

If you are going to #ASHG25, check out the line-up!

This is perfect if you are a trainee who needs to network but has no idea how to do it. Instead of trying to corner someone at the posters (which is stressful!), schedule a slot and sit down for 15 minutes to chat!
genandgenes.bsky.social
Are you going to #ASHG2025 next week in Boston? Interested in getting some mentorship from leading figures in the field (and me)?

Check out our speed mentoring event on Thursday! Sign-ups are online so reserve a spot ASAP.

site.pheedloop.com/event/ASHG25...
PheedLoop
PheedLoop: Hybrid, In-Person & Virtual Event Software
site.pheedloop.com
genandgenes.bsky.social
I make no promises regarding how unhinged my advice will be. I've only gotten worse/more feral over the last year, so ymmv.
genandgenes.bsky.social
Are you going to #ASHG2025 next week in Boston? Interested in getting some mentorship from leading figures in the field (and me)?

Check out our speed mentoring event on Thursday! Sign-ups are online so reserve a spot ASAP.

site.pheedloop.com/event/ASHG25...
PheedLoop
PheedLoop: Hybrid, In-Person & Virtual Event Software
site.pheedloop.com
genandgenes.bsky.social
Life is too short and you are too old for other people's opinions to influence how you spend your time.

Be friends with people who fill your cup. Do that "cringe" activity that you find rewarding. Read books and listen to music you enjoy.

Life is hard enough, do whatever makes the days move easy.
essencesimmone.blacksky.app
Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?
Reposted by Gen Wojcik
geneticssociety.bsky.social
⏰ TODAY at NOON ET, we’re giving you all the details you'll need to make your #ASHG25 experience in Boston one to beat! Join our webinar for:

✅Pro tips on navigating the event
✅Live Q&A
✅Must-have resources

Register now: learning.ashg.org/products/ash... @renatopolimanti.bsky.social #ASHG
Reposted by Gen Wojcik
bnwolford.bsky.social
Pleased to share our work on the genetics of diagnosed and undiagnosed celiac disease from the HUNT Study. This was led by Eivind Ness Jensen, Rebecka Hjort, and PhD Candidate Sayeef Alam. 🧬

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Genetic differences between diagnosed and undiagnosed Celiac disease: a population-based study - Human Genetics
A large proportion of individuals with celiac disease (CeD) remain undiagnosed, often presenting at an older age of onset or with non-classical symptoms compared to diagnosed cases. Such heterogeneity might be related to genetic factors. The aim was to utilize a CeD-screened adult population to compare the genetic variants in known and newly diagnosed cases. In the fourth wave of the population-based Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT4) 826 CeD and 51,516 non-CeD individuals were included. Medical registries identified 361 previously diagnosed cases, while screening identified 465 new cases. A validated polygenic risk score (PRS) was used to assess the genetic risk of CeD among the two case groups versus non-CeD individuals. Additional genetic variants not included in the PRS were also analyzed. The PRS distinguished cases from non-cases with high accuracy (AUROC: 85% for known cases, 83% for new cases). The genetic variation explained by the PRS was similar for known and new cases (17.1% versus 14.5%). The odds ratio for being in the highest genetic risk group (top 10%) was 22.7 (95% CI 14.1–36.4) for known cases and 18.6 (95% CI 12.4–27.9) for new cases versus the median group (40%-60%). Differences in effect size among specific genome-wide variants were observed but were not significantly associated with CeD. A validated PRS showed significant genetic difference between CeD cases and the general population, with similar association in both known and newly diagnosed cases. This suggests that genetic architectures of the two groups are comparable, implying that other non-genetic factors may drive CeD in adults.
link.springer.com
genandgenes.bsky.social
One of the things I love about my kindle is that you can highlight any word and it will define it for you!

I’ve learned so many new words and also learned precise meanings when I’ve been going off of vibes and context clues for decades.
chanda.blacksky.app
actually it's ok to look things up in the dictionary instead of blaming the author for using a word you didn't know

learning is good
genandgenes.bsky.social
NHGRI:

2022 - 242
2023 - 235
2024 - 226
2025 - 70

😫
azfaust.bsky.social
We can keep going but the lesson I take from this is that the administration and the NIH leadership have decided to shrink the biomedical research workforce and shrink the scope of the science being performed in this country.
Reposted by Gen Wojcik
azfaust.bsky.social
NIMHD (minority health and disparities):

2022 - 262
2023 - 223
2024 - 241
2025 - 32

From 241 to 32 grants...
genandgenes.bsky.social
But also, Outlook needs to leave my e-mails alone. It's called personality!
genandgenes.bsky.social
One of the more mortifying aspects of AI editing your writing in real time (thanks Microsoft...not) is realizing how many little things you've gotten wrong for so long. That your syntax has been this 🤏 off the whole time.

(Why yes, both my parents were english language learners, why do you ask?)
Reposted by Gen Wojcik
kassthefish.bsky.social
Help needed!! The summer got the best of me in terms of getting my shark sculpture to Minnesota, but now I really REALLY need some help!

If anyone is making road trip legs between Baltimore or Pittsburgh towards the Midwest, PLEASE let me know!

My fish lab would love to see this happen! Thanks 🦈
genandgenes.bsky.social
Come meet me to transfer a shark sculpture! It fits in my Honda Odyssey, so any vehicle with at least that much space would work.

The first leg is to Pittsburgh and I can meet you halfway.

In this hellscape, bring a little good to your world. Also, my kids think I'm moderately cool now.
kassthefish.bsky.social
Hi folks, I've got a follow up request about my large (~10ft) shark sculpture 🦈

Can this network help me come up with a caravan of folks who can transport the sculpture from the Baltimore area to the Illinois/Wisconsin/Minnesota area?

The sculpture fit in a minivan! And I can help w/ gas money
genandgenes.bsky.social
I did! But it was in French class, so probably not a representation of broader US impact.
genandgenes.bsky.social
So so good. Incredibly formative when I saw it in high school and the Cut Killer song was on every single mix CD for years.

open.spotify.com/track/4HNH7b...
La Haine
open.spotify.com
genandgenes.bsky.social
I think my second or third year is when I realized that if everything turned out well, I would have to keep on doing *all this* for decades. It was a lot.
Reposted by Gen Wojcik
olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."

me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually

www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
How Can We Live Together? - Boston Review
Ezra Klein is wrong: shame is essential.
www.bostonreview.net
genandgenes.bsky.social
There is a strange pain that comes from the scientific field you work in being weaponized to hurt people.
genandgenes.bsky.social
The ableism. The misogyny. The ignorance of basic facts. The absolute disregard for human life and suffering.
Meme of astronauts. One says "It's all eugenics?" And the other says "Always has been".
genandgenes.bsky.social
Time to bring this back out.

:: screams quietly in the kitchen while cooking dinner ::
Spotify playlist called "crash out".
genandgenes.bsky.social
Thank goodness they both have my entire face so we don't get questioned at airports (yet).
genandgenes.bsky.social
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

This reminds me of when I had to provide proof of cohabitation w/husband (shared bill) + both kids' birth certificates *to start a family gym/pool membership* bc I have a different last name.

Or when CVS wouldn't let me add the kids to my pharmacy acct. 🫠
piperformissouri.bsky.social
Tried to get my real ID. I had my license, my SS card and my birth certificate.

I was not allowed to get my real ID because my birth name is different than my married name. Now I have to go dig up a marriage certificate. You know who wouldn’t have to do this? A man.

Never change your last name.
Reposted by Gen Wojcik
harmitmalik.bsky.social
Any academic folks on H1B visas (even with stamps in passports) please get legal advice from your University attorneys before leaving the US.
genandgenes.bsky.social
Today is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month and our school celebrated w/ "Flag Day" (which our kids participated in w/hastily bought tees).

I love the school's efforts to share cultures, but oh boy does it make the hard work of cultural stewardship & price of living far from family so obvious.