Jason Nickerson
@jwnickerson.bsky.social
Respiratory Therapist 🫁
Trail runner and adventurer🏃♂️
Public health, emerging infectious diseases, health systems researcher focusing on older adults ☣️
Humanitarian aid worker and former Humanitarian Representative to Canada for MSF 🌍
Trail runner and adventurer🏃♂️
Public health, emerging infectious diseases, health systems researcher focusing on older adults ☣️
Humanitarian aid worker and former Humanitarian Representative to Canada for MSF 🌍
Great obituary in today’s Globe and Mail.
A reminder to make sure that you exit this world on a, uh, high note.
www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article...
A reminder to make sure that you exit this world on a, uh, high note.
www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article...
December 1, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Great obituary in today’s Globe and Mail.
A reminder to make sure that you exit this world on a, uh, high note.
www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article...
A reminder to make sure that you exit this world on a, uh, high note.
www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article...
The G&M headline is pretty aligned with what he said, in my opinion. CTV News 👇
We can debate whether this is an issue of semantics, or not, but I would argue there was value in the language Canada used to describe its ambitions. I also don’t think Canada lived up to those ambitions, to be fair.
We can debate whether this is an issue of semantics, or not, but I would argue there was value in the language Canada used to describe its ambitions. I also don’t think Canada lived up to those ambitions, to be fair.
November 24, 2025 at 3:48 AM
The G&M headline is pretty aligned with what he said, in my opinion. CTV News 👇
We can debate whether this is an issue of semantics, or not, but I would argue there was value in the language Canada used to describe its ambitions. I also don’t think Canada lived up to those ambitions, to be fair.
We can debate whether this is an issue of semantics, or not, but I would argue there was value in the language Canada used to describe its ambitions. I also don’t think Canada lived up to those ambitions, to be fair.
Some personal news: after more than a decade with @msf.ca, today is my last day as the Humanitarian Representative to Canada for Doctors Without Borders.
Serving in this role has been the privilege of a lifetime and I’m leaving feeling inspired by the work that MSF does.
Serving in this role has been the privilege of a lifetime and I’m leaving feeling inspired by the work that MSF does.
October 10, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Some personal news: after more than a decade with @msf.ca, today is my last day as the Humanitarian Representative to Canada for Doctors Without Borders.
Serving in this role has been the privilege of a lifetime and I’m leaving feeling inspired by the work that MSF does.
Serving in this role has been the privilege of a lifetime and I’m leaving feeling inspired by the work that MSF does.
I took some extended time off from MSF this summer - some time to trade crisis meetings for trail running, cold lakes, and a long scramble up to Ishpatina Ridge (Ontario’s highest point).
It wasn’t just time off, it was a summer of practicing nervous system regulation & recovery. Some thoughts:
It wasn’t just time off, it was a summer of practicing nervous system regulation & recovery. Some thoughts:
September 15, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I took some extended time off from MSF this summer - some time to trade crisis meetings for trail running, cold lakes, and a long scramble up to Ishpatina Ridge (Ontario’s highest point).
It wasn’t just time off, it was a summer of practicing nervous system regulation & recovery. Some thoughts:
It wasn’t just time off, it was a summer of practicing nervous system regulation & recovery. Some thoughts:
Friends, I’m taking a break for the coming months to rest, recharge, and rebalance a bit. I’ve been spending less time on here and will be spending more time on trails, on my bike, and on the water over the summer. I hope your summers are restful and peaceful and adventure-packed. Do cool stuff. ✌️
June 11, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Friends, I’m taking a break for the coming months to rest, recharge, and rebalance a bit. I’ve been spending less time on here and will be spending more time on trails, on my bike, and on the water over the summer. I hope your summers are restful and peaceful and adventure-packed. Do cool stuff. ✌️
Very happy to have moderated this morning’s kickoff panel at the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists annual conference in Ottawa #CSRT2025 - RTs bring a lot to patient care in hospitals and communities, and with new changes underway in primary care I’m sure there’s much more that we can do!
May 8, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Very happy to have moderated this morning’s kickoff panel at the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists annual conference in Ottawa #CSRT2025 - RTs bring a lot to patient care in hospitals and communities, and with new changes underway in primary care I’m sure there’s much more that we can do!
Beauty of a day out there for a bike ride. Happy Easter, everyone!
April 20, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Beauty of a day out there for a bike ride. Happy Easter, everyone!
This… does not strike me as particularly controversial (and I found this paper really interesting)
April 18, 2025 at 10:05 PM
This… does not strike me as particularly controversial (and I found this paper really interesting)
Gavi has introduced & scaled-up vaccines against diseases that trigger large outbreaks, threaten global health security, and can kill hundreds of thousands of people per year, including measles, diphtheria, and rotavirus. One of the most impactful public health programs ever created is now at risk.
March 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Gavi has introduced & scaled-up vaccines against diseases that trigger large outbreaks, threaten global health security, and can kill hundreds of thousands of people per year, including measles, diphtheria, and rotavirus. One of the most impactful public health programs ever created is now at risk.
PCV was introduced in high income countries years earlier: this is the fatal divide in access to medicines that we speak of, and that the world shouldn't tolerate but does. In Canada, pneumococcal vaccination is part of the routine immunization schedule for kids and older adults. It saves lives.
March 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM
PCV was introduced in high income countries years earlier: this is the fatal divide in access to medicines that we speak of, and that the world shouldn't tolerate but does. In Canada, pneumococcal vaccination is part of the routine immunization schedule for kids and older adults. It saves lives.
I spent time in several overflowing pediatric wards. Dozens of young children were admitted with severe pneumonia. Many needed supplemental oxygen, several were critically ill.
This is what the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) would hopefully prevent.
This is what the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) would hopefully prevent.
March 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM
I spent time in several overflowing pediatric wards. Dozens of young children were admitted with severe pneumonia. Many needed supplemental oxygen, several were critically ill.
This is what the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) would hopefully prevent.
This is what the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) would hopefully prevent.
I met with communities that were being reached by community health workers traveling by bike with vaccine coolers on the back, visiting remote health facilities that were ill-equipped, but often needed, to care for critically ill children with pneumonia, etc.
Childhood pneumonia was a huge problem.
Childhood pneumonia was a huge problem.
March 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM
I met with communities that were being reached by community health workers traveling by bike with vaccine coolers on the back, visiting remote health facilities that were ill-equipped, but often needed, to care for critically ill children with pneumonia, etc.
Childhood pneumonia was a huge problem.
Childhood pneumonia was a huge problem.
I think I found the @dfisman.bsky.social not-fan club today?
March 21, 2025 at 6:42 PM
I think I found the @dfisman.bsky.social not-fan club today?
Measles vaccination campaigns are large undertakings, but:
1. The vaccine is very safe and well-studied
2. The vaccine is very effective in real-world conditions
3. The measles vaccine market globally is strong - vaccines are generally affordable, accessible, and have multiple suppliers globally.
1. The vaccine is very safe and well-studied
2. The vaccine is very effective in real-world conditions
3. The measles vaccine market globally is strong - vaccines are generally affordable, accessible, and have multiple suppliers globally.
March 11, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Measles vaccination campaigns are large undertakings, but:
1. The vaccine is very safe and well-studied
2. The vaccine is very effective in real-world conditions
3. The measles vaccine market globally is strong - vaccines are generally affordable, accessible, and have multiple suppliers globally.
1. The vaccine is very safe and well-studied
2. The vaccine is very effective in real-world conditions
3. The measles vaccine market globally is strong - vaccines are generally affordable, accessible, and have multiple suppliers globally.
Some good news: Manitoba has agreed to accept a patient from Gaza in need of urgent surgical care that is unavailable because of the war. The patient was referred through MSF’s medical teams in the region, and I’m proud to have played a role in this. news.gov.mb.ca/news/?archiv...
January 18, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Some good news: Manitoba has agreed to accept a patient from Gaza in need of urgent surgical care that is unavailable because of the war. The patient was referred through MSF’s medical teams in the region, and I’m proud to have played a role in this. news.gov.mb.ca/news/?archiv...
This is a very specific question to be included on the City of Ottawa’s FAQ site.
December 18, 2024 at 7:35 PM
This is a very specific question to be included on the City of Ottawa’s FAQ site.
Beautiful day hiking today. ✌️
November 16, 2024 at 10:37 PM
Beautiful day hiking today. ✌️
Helpful graphic from the paper showing WHO regions and priorities. www.thelancet.com/cms/10.1016/...
November 11, 2024 at 1:14 PM
Helpful graphic from the paper showing WHO regions and priorities. www.thelancet.com/cms/10.1016/...
New ride. Great fall day to get out. A+ 👍
November 10, 2024 at 5:16 PM
New ride. Great fall day to get out. A+ 👍
Great news from Rwanda’s Marburg outbreak, with no new cases and currently no patients in isolation or treatment. Hopefully this is the end of it, and we get some helpful data on vaccines and therapeutics. IDSky 🩺
November 8, 2024 at 6:44 PM
Great news from Rwanda’s Marburg outbreak, with no new cases and currently no patients in isolation or treatment. Hopefully this is the end of it, and we get some helpful data on vaccines and therapeutics. IDSky 🩺
One silver lining in Rwanda’s Marburg outbreak is that there’s going to be some really important real world evidence on the clinical management of critically ill patients with Marburg and viral hemorrhagic fevers more generally, including the use of mechanical ventilation. MedSky IDSky 🧪
October 20, 2024 at 10:50 PM
One silver lining in Rwanda’s Marburg outbreak is that there’s going to be some really important real world evidence on the clinical management of critically ill patients with Marburg and viral hemorrhagic fevers more generally, including the use of mechanical ventilation. MedSky IDSky 🧪
Another day of good news from Rwanda about its Marburg outbreak - no new cases, only 3 patients in treatment, & more than 1,000 vaccine doses in arms.
Similar to other VHF outbreaks, we are seeing that high quality care really drives down mortality below commonly cited estimates. MedSky IDSky
Similar to other VHF outbreaks, we are seeing that high quality care really drives down mortality below commonly cited estimates. MedSky IDSky
October 18, 2024 at 10:08 PM
Another day of good news from Rwanda about its Marburg outbreak - no new cases, only 3 patients in treatment, & more than 1,000 vaccine doses in arms.
Similar to other VHF outbreaks, we are seeing that high quality care really drives down mortality below commonly cited estimates. MedSky IDSky
Similar to other VHF outbreaks, we are seeing that high quality care really drives down mortality below commonly cited estimates. MedSky IDSky
Three of the last four days, there have been no new confirmed cases reported in the Marburg outbreak in Rwanda - good news, and hopefully this continues, and a sign of a good public health response.
Also more than 600 investigational vaccines in arms, which is great. MedSky IDSky 🧪
Also more than 600 investigational vaccines in arms, which is great. MedSky IDSky 🧪
October 12, 2024 at 9:37 PM
Three of the last four days, there have been no new confirmed cases reported in the Marburg outbreak in Rwanda - good news, and hopefully this continues, and a sign of a good public health response.
Also more than 600 investigational vaccines in arms, which is great. MedSky IDSky 🧪
Also more than 600 investigational vaccines in arms, which is great. MedSky IDSky 🧪
Also of major concern is cholera, which has been seeing massive outbreaks around the world for the past several years. There is so much cholera right now, and so few vaccines, that the global cholera vaccine stockpile was empty in January and meets very little demand today. This is a major problem.
March 9, 2024 at 12:12 PM
Also of major concern is cholera, which has been seeing massive outbreaks around the world for the past several years. There is so much cholera right now, and so few vaccines, that the global cholera vaccine stockpile was empty in January and meets very little demand today. This is a major problem.
Just taking one example from the above story on the price of inhalers, you can see how absurd the price differences are between different jurisdictions. This makes absolutely no sense. Advair HFA costs $319 in the US, but $26 in the UK? Wild. (It's $122-$173 in Canada, btw)
January 12, 2024 at 7:47 PM
Just taking one example from the above story on the price of inhalers, you can see how absurd the price differences are between different jurisdictions. This makes absolutely no sense. Advair HFA costs $319 in the US, but $26 in the UK? Wild. (It's $122-$173 in Canada, btw)