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Alex Sundermann, DrPH

@sundermannaj.bsky.social

4.5K followers 800 following 360 posts

Assistant Professor in Epidemiology @ Pitt Public Health | Outbreaks, Genomic Epidemiology, Public Health 🕵🏼‍♂️ | DrPH, CIC, FAPIC | Hubs & Dad of 2 https://www.publichealth.pitt.edu/directory/alexander-sundermann

www.publichealth.pitt.edu

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Dec 5

Our new commentary out today in @asm.org AAC: "Pathogen genomics in healthcare: overcoming barriers to proactive surveillance"!

Here, my colleagues and I discuss the promises, barriers, and potential solutions for genomic surveillance in healthcare 🦠

#IDSky #PublicHealth

doi.org/10.1128/aac....

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 2d

A journal's Publication Charges for a paper I just had accepted were so high that I had to ask my University to increase the limit on my University credit card just to pay for it...

Academia is crazy

Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 3d

Beautiful & brilliant! Just bought one 👀🦠

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 5d

😂

Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 6d

Such a wild story!

3 human cases of NDM-CRE likely acquired from their respective pets who likely acquired it from a veterinary hospital outbreak!

Big reason for animal and human cases to be compared

Paper: academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...

#IDSky

Reporting via @cvdall.bsky.social

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 12d

#IDWeek2025: I always procrastinate registering/booking travel for conferences... I guess I should get on this now 😬

Who from #IDSky will be going?!

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Reposted by Alex Sundermann, DrPH

Miranda Yaver @mirandayaver.bsky.social · 13d

You've heard me talk about it.
You've seen me write about it.
And now it's your chance to pre-order my forthcoming book Coverage Denied!

Combining survey & administrative data with extensive interviews, my book highlights the harms caused by coverage barriers. Hope you'll read it!
cup.org/4nfM2IM

Cambridge University Press Political Science & IR @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org · 13d

Coming 2026!

@mirandayaver.bsky.social's Coverage Denied: How Health Insurers Drive Inequality in the United States is a sobering account of the ways in which coverage denials damage patient health and exacerbate inequalities.

Pre-order now! 🗺️ 🩺📊

https://cup.org/4nfM2IM

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 16d

A fine balance between diagnostic stewardship & @dandiekema.bsky.social brings in great perspective at end:

"There are initiatives … which are driven by laudable aims and can be helpful to patients, but they can also go overboard and be harmful if they fail to detect infections when they ought to"

Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 16d

STAT digging into HAIs, NHSN reporting, and avoidance

Great piece on the debacle of penalties driving undertesting and underreporting

Brings me back to my days as an IP, knowing that CDC NHSN manual like the back of my hand #IDSky

via @tarabannow.bsky.social ⤵️
www.statnews.com/2025/09/22/h...

Hospitals get dinged for reporting too many infections. In some cases, the solution is not to test

A STAT Investigation: To avoid fines for reporting excessive hospital-acquired infections, some facilities are discouraging testing.

www.statnews.com

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 17d

And still not recognized by current political leadership 🫠

Reposted by Alex Sundermann, DrPH

Joseph Marcus @josephmarcusid.medsky.social · 23d

Come join #IDSky at the unofficial @idweek.bsky.social Social Media Meet-Up!

All are welcome.

IDWeek Social Media Meet-Up
October 19, 2025
7:30 PM-10:00 PM
Lobby Bar at the Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center

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Reposted by Alex Sundermann, DrPH

Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 22d

NEW: CDC has been ‘censored’ and ‘politicized’ under RFK Jr., former officials plan to tell senators

www.statnews.com/2025/09/16/c...

CDC has been ‘censored’ and ‘politicized’ under RFK Jr., former officials plan to say

Two former top CDC officials plan to deliver fiery testimony about how RFK Jr. has undermined the agency.

www.statnews.com

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 23d

In DC (for my first time) for a conference. Reached out to my Senator’s office and asked to share my personal concerns on science and public health. Had a great discussion!

Personal stories are often more impactful than data and numbers. That was my goal to share today

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 26d

*tapping the sign*

VAERS own website (still) says ‘don’t this this with this dataset’

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 26d

This is the best news I’ve heard all week

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Reposted by Alex Sundermann, DrPH

Miranda Yaver @mirandayaver.bsky.social · 27d

My colleague @sundermannaj.bsky.social and I discussed in The Hill why GOP attacks on AHRQ are both dangerous and misguided, and based on an incorrect claim that its functions are duplicative. Postdoctoral training programs will be cut. Health systems research will suffer thehill.com/opinion/heal...

thehill.com

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 27d

@mirandayaver.bsky.social and I have an op-ed out today in The Hill on why cutting AHRQ is a dangerous move.

From its work in patient safety and HAIs to funding research grants and to its support of the USPSTF - AHRQ has repeatedly shown its value
thehill.com/opinion/heal...

thehill.com

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Sep 8

Our new paper in @ichejournal.bsky.social: a cluster of healthcare-associated Burkholderia sola infections via WGS

➡️ B sola is a newly described BCC species
➡️ We detected 2 infxs via donor derived lung Tx + forward transmission

#IDSky
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Sep 6

Interesting concept to ‘start your own prepared meal company’ in 60-days by using the service.

Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Sep 6

Curious point about this new Salmonella outbreak: the implicated company (Metabolic Meals) uses another company (HealthSpan Foods) which actually MAKES the meals

So is it the brand problem or the manufacturer problem or even the supplier problem?
www.cdc.gov/media/releas...

Certain Metabolic Meals home delivery foods reported in ongoing Salmonella outbreak investigation

Sixteen people in ten states have gotten sick from the same strain of <em>Salmonella</em>.

www.cdc.gov

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Sep 6

Thanks for this. I’ve never liked when people say “he was a heroin addict!” to be the rationale he’s unqualified whereas it’s the million of other reasons, and this line of thinking degrades so many trying to maintain the recovery process

Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Sep 5

Friday highlight: getting a new sticker in the mail today from @drrossanarosa.bsky.social to add to the new laptop 😎👏🏻

Clean the shared equipment!

👀Peek “not today MRSA” too!

#IDSky

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Sep 5

Self portrait 😂 gotta frame it

Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Sep 4

Via www.tylervigen.com/spurious-cor...

Spurious Correlations

Correlation is not causation: thousands of charts of real data showing actual correlations between ridiculous variables.

www.tylervigen.com

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Sep 4

Correlation =\= Causation

Are cat memes responsible for air bag recalls? Hell no. 🐈‍⬛🚗

Spurious Correlations is one of my favorite websites for making this point

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · Sep 4

Chiropractors, probably!