benjaminlinas.bsky.social

📉 Medicaid cuts could strip opioid treatment from 150,000 people, LDI and @bostonu.bsky.social researchers warn. A @nytimes.com editorial says this threatens the 25% drop in overdose deaths since 2023. Progress is fragile — and lives are at risk. Read the editorial: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/o...

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... This is: 1) A heinous human rights violation, 2) Horrible and wasteful policy that ignores 40 years of data, 3)Totally nihlist with no solutions proposed, only punishment, 4) A fascist power grab that provides a mechanism to imprison anyone deemed "unwell."

I am having a Trump era nihilist moment of rage, indignation, depression, and fear. I HATE this feeling and I HATE the fact that it is the President of the United States creating it. I do not have the words to articulate this state of mind. Can a professional writer (or therapist) please help me…

Can we all agree that the Pope smoke was the best marketing concept ever in the history of marketing? How many video cameras are trained on it 24 hours a day? It certainly captures my imagination - and I am Jewish! They could give the chimney a glow-up however…

Pesach has never felt more contemporary and relevant to me than it does today. These are Jewish values, not arresting and deporting people with whom we disagree. Chag semeach to all.

Nothing humble about this brag. I am very proud of this! But it is not really my accomplishment. This represents the commitment and passion of an exceptional group of people at MA community Engagement Alliance of the NIH and Boston Medical Center.

This is what makes America great - inclusive work and community that benefit from diverse perspectives and lived experience. We ALL have something to learn from each other and we all are a better version of ourselves when we share our stories.

Here is a post with a change of pace from typical these days.... The Syndics lab is hiring! We seek an experienced (2-3 years) master degree level data analyst to help with our policy research. I like to think it is a good job and a supportive workplace. bmc.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/BMC/job/Bost...

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/u... Yes, cutting funds to univ. is fascist hate-based policy that is making America suck all over. AND WTF “Universities.” You are sitting on tens of billions of $ in endowments, but cutting students rather than investing in them? Are you education institutions or not?

I found this in the office kitchen. No idea who left it there, but I bet it was a team leader, like me, who has a tendency to conflate talking in the meeting with “getting things done” and “leading.” I put this pen right in front of me in my last meeting…

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... We have work to do if we are going to eliminate HCV. Most women NOT screened for HCV, even when providers code their risk factors! Proud of my mentee, Rachel Epstein, and her mentee, Roshni Singh, for this work. FYI, join BU CHART and you could publish in JAMA too!

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/o... “Over the next few years, Americans who hope for something better will have to go toe-to-toe with this administration, at all levels of government…” ❤️ you @gregggonsalves.bsky.social My toes will be steel tipped and filed down.

If you are a person and are experiencing homelessness, where are you allowed to stand? Any time I see 2 people experiencing homelessness standing together, the next day I see a barricade in that spot. Are we saying that your very existence is a crime if you do not have a house?

This is important work. Thank you. I would also comment that it is not simply that the majority believes that measles vaccine saves lives, it is that the majority understands that vaccines DO save lives. I believe the sky is blue - because it IS!!!!

It is poignant to read an old grant submission. Like discovering a professional time capsule. I am renewing our BU-CHART T32 and am reading the 2021 submission now. One faculty member tragically passed away. A few trainees are now famous faculty. It is surprisingly emotional work.

Where is the fierce, vocal, widespread OPPOSITION from our medical orgs? Where are the AMA, ABIM, AAP, ACS etc?

Thank you for this important statement. It is critical that our #HIV research community react, and resist this censorship. It is more than unfortunate. It does more than create gaps. It makes it impossible to effectively do the work of ending the HIV epidemic.

Over the last hour I wrote - and then deleted without posting - two posts about developments I think are important and want to share, but worried could bring harm to colleagues and my community if the wrong people saw them. Are we in the deep state yet? Tell me one way this differs from fascism.

The last two candies from the office post-Halloween candy drawer. I would generally say these are the evidence-based two “worst” candies. But maybe there is bias introduced by the fact that we are in office and both of these are a little messy and sticky? Please design causal inference evaluation!

One survival strategy for me is allowing myself small indulgences to make the day even a tiny bit better. Today, it is a full-onMcDonald’s lunch! …and yes, I can see the irony, but F those MFers.

If you want to work with my amazing research team, we have a job opening for a senior research administrator at University of Pittsburgh. Need someone enthusiastic and experienced. cfopitt.taleo.net/careersectio...

www.reuters.com/business/hea... Inclusive clinical trial enrollment is important to ensure the generalizability of discovery. Without it, our science is crap and we are wasting money. This makes no sense, even if you hate DEIB initiatives.

In this era of “government efficiency,” how much does it cost to unleash an uncoordinated tirade of half-baked orders in an orgy of hate? Based on the number of meetings I am in and their size, it has to be measured in the tens of billions of dollars. And that is before we cost the real harms.

I saw this today at my daughter’s school and it resonated with me.

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/m... This piece completely misinterprets the political environment today. An end to “hyper-politics” would be wonderful, but this is fascism- the stage when the opposition self-mutes and the fascist agenda seemingly becomes a law of nature.

The immediate halting of funding to #PEPFAR places millions of lives in jeopardy. The IAS urgently calls on policy makers and stakeholders to restore the funding lifeline to this pivotal programme. Lives depend on it, right now. Read our full statement:

My personal favorite robotics geek - snacks duty today❤️❤️

#FTC robotics time! This is one of my favorite high school activities. I am standing in a room of 200 teenagers who are doing what they love because it is fun. It is f’ing awesome to be a geek, especially in a room full of fun-loving, kind, other geeks. #firstrobotics - check it out!

To eliminate HCV, we need to worry less about the specter of undiagnosed cirrhosis and more about treating as many people as possible. Insisting on gold standard disease staging before HCV treatment paradoxically leads to worse outcomes. academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...

Over 20 years of failed/non-existent housing policy and allowing pharma companies to operate as a sanctioned drug cartel, but let’s blame migrants for our housing crisis. That’s clearly the leadership we need. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/27/u...

Having a substance use disorder and/or not having a house is not a crime. Relying on criminal legal systems to solve this problem is like using a drill to hammer a nail. Wrong tool, wrong approach. There is a real problem to solve, but this is lazy leadership. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/25/b...

Quick poll - if you are an Internal Medicine provider, do you feel like ABIM represents you, your career growth, or your medical competency in any way? I just sent a pretty fat payment their way, and I am struggling to find any value other than “cuz they make me do it.”

www.tiktok.com/t/ZTYY4Ybgx/ Why does this cost less than college?? Credit my 17yo high school senior daughter for both the find and the tag line question.

www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/u... “Unfounded health claims”? More like “delusional denial of fact.” Ivermectin does not treat COVID. Done. There is no room for debate. We have trial data. If I say “gravity pulls up,” is that an unfounded physics claim? What happens if FDA stops using trials? Scary.

Why is everyone so despondent? Based on the Hedseth, Gaetz, and RFK nominations, it is clear that in Trump's America I am professionally qualified to be an NBA Point Guard!!! You are too! This is freaking amazing. Mid-life career shift coming.

Hello. I left twitter when it became clear that platform plays no role in a healthy society. I have been lost without social media for more than a year. I miss it! I hope this is the place for productive dialogue? I have exactly 0 Bluesky followers, so if you know me, please reach out!