@sarah-todd.bsky.social
Commercial determinants of health reporter @STAT, previously @qz
she/her
DM me on Signal: @sarahlizchar.47
newsletter: http://fororagainst.substack.com
@danielpayne.bsky.socialReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.socialMAHA activists have claimed to lead a revolution in American politics.
Now, they meet disappointing midterm realities.
@jasonukman.bsky.socialReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.socialFifty years ago, pioneering researcher Robert Gallo and his colleagues pursued basic research science and changed history.
Sometimes you don't know where the work will lead. That, he writes in @statnews.com, is a lesson that should still matter.
@theresagaff.bsky.socialReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.social“My friend Yannick is waiting to get the next Avidity therapy,” 12-year-old Brecken wrote in a letter to Novartis. “He was so happy for me when I got it. It is getting hard for him to throw the ball for his dog Rosie and drink a glass of water. This makes me sad.” www.statnews.com/2026/10/07/m...
@sarah-todd.bsky.socialICYMI: California has officially passed a bill creating a label that will identify foods as "non-ultra-processed," requiring stores to group them together with special signage so shoppers can easily ID them. I wrote about the bill back in March:
@aniloza.bsky.socialReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.socialanother year where all the science nobels went to men, as was the case in 2024
much of this piece, about the structural barriers women face in doing innovative research and receiving credit for it, holds up (I think)
@theresagaff.bsky.socialReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.socialFor this story, Sarah endured a gauntlet of longevity tests measuring her heart, brain, lungs, eyes, ears, strength and fitness — read it!! www.statnews.com/2026/10/06/h...
@sarah-todd.bsky.socialNonprofit hospitals like Northwestern Medicine and Weill Cornell are opening up longevity clinics, with patients paying thousands of dollars for in-depth assessments like DEXA scans and biological age tests. I wrote about the new trend (and experiencing it myself):
@sarah-todd.bsky.socialThe DEA wants to make 7-OH, an opioid-like drug available at gas stations and convenience stores, a Schedule 1 drug. Experts agree it's dangerous — but some warn about the risks of sending people addicted to 7-OH into withdrawal. @theresagaff.bsky.social reports:
@sarah-todd.bsky.socialGLP-1 drug makers are shifting from marketing the drugs' health benefits to focusing on weight loss — a strategy that allows them to market drugs directly to customers as employers increasingly stop covering GLP-1s. @elaineywchen.bsky.social
@jasonmclure.bsky.socialReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.socialWhen the Biden administration shelved its effort to ban menthol cigarettes, it cited the “immense amount” of public comments received. Turns out 97% of those were opposition form letters, according to a new Rutgers study. How spam shaped a policy that could have averted 650,000 deaths:
@sarah-todd.bsky.socialSomething I didn't know about the "Asian glow" phenomenon: It's a marker of reduced activity in the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, which puts people at higher risk of developing esophageal cancer & other cancers in the upper respiratory tract:
@hannakozlowska.bsky.socialReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.socialIn the words of an Internet sage: SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP. Do you write/post/podcast about dating, love, relationships, technology, history, neoliberalism (hehe), nonfiction books? Want a galley of “U UP? An Intimate History of Online Dating?” Lmk!!
@sarah-todd.bsky.socialI grew up in Ohio, and on a recent visit to my parents, I got the chance to report on its very health-focused governor's race, which pits Amy Acton (physician who led Ohio's Covid response) vs Vivek Ramaswamy (founder/former CEO of biotech company Roivant).
@brittanytrang.comReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.socialFor all my fellow Ohioans out there (and those looking on but thankfully not subject to the onslaught of political ads in the mail and on YouTube.)
From Ohio native @sarah-todd.bsky.social:
www.statnews.com/2026/09/22/o...
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#health #healthcare #medicine #ohio #governor #acton #ramaswamy
@jasonukman.bsky.socialReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.socialWe're pretty excited @statnews.com that Nick Florko is going to be covering trust-in-science issues as a beat, and you should be too. Read more about the initiative here.
@shefali.bsky.socialReposted by @sarah-todd.bsky.socialBig news: The family of Tierra Walker, who died after she couldn't get an abortion, is suing a slate of Texas actors in state court, including AG Ken Paxton. They say the state ban is unconstitutional.
This is the first suit of its kind.
@sarah-todd.bsky.socialMy good friend and former colleague @oliviagoldhill.bsky.social has a forthcoming book on psychedelics and mental health, available TODAY for preorders! Line up for your copy of "Empire of the Mind" here:
geni.us/empireofthem...
@sarah-todd.bsky.socialA former tobacco executive quietly joined CDC senior leadership last month — a move raising concerns over the industry's influence over public health and revolving doors.
