Kara Gavin
@karagavin.bsky.social
Science/medical writer & media relations for University of Michigan (Michigan Medicine/Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation) focusing on #primarycare, #mentalhealth, aging & #healthpolicy Mom, wife, baker, French horn player, AAAS Fellow, J! bronze
Pinned
Kara Gavin
@karagavin.bsky.social
· Jan 8
It’s great to see a growing community of #medsky folks from the Univ. of Michigan on this platform! Here’s a starter pack I’ve begun to compile - please share and ask to be added if you’re in any role at the Med School or the clinical world! go.bsky.app/NKhdFPM
A little thread that has something for those who care about science funding, history, tech transfer &/or the University of Michigan: 🧵🧪🗃️ #medsky
A few weeks before I started working @umich.edu in 1999, my future colleagues published the 1st stories about a 'bioartificial kidney' that aimed to treat chronic kidney disease by adding living kidney cells into a dialysis circuit: web.archive.org/web/20000311...
record.umich.edu/articles/u-r...
record.umich.edu/articles/u-r...
September 25, 2026 at 10:20 AM
A little thread that has something for those who care about science funding, history, tech transfer &/or the University of Michigan: 🧵🧪🗃️ #medsky
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Stories of science funding being cut, labs shutting down and scientists losing jobs have flooded the media under Trump's administration. These six graphics show how those changes have affected U.S. biomedical research. n.pr/4ycseLJ
Under Trump, NIH funding disruptions have evolved. Here's what the numbers show
Stories of science funding being cut, labs shutting down and scientists losing jobs have flooded the media under Trump's administration. These six graphics show how those changes have affected U.S. biomedical research.
n.pr
September 24, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Stories of science funding being cut, labs shutting down and scientists losing jobs have flooded the media under Trump's administration. These six graphics show how those changes have affected U.S. biomedical research. n.pr/4ycseLJ
Reposted by Kara Gavin
#Voting starts TODAY, #Michigan! I voted this afternoon and voting is available for the next 4️⃣0️⃣ days. Pro tip: when you return your ballot, campaigns see that you already voted and stop mailing and texting you, so save your candidates some money & save yourself some sanity and #VoteEarly! #BeAVoter
September 25, 2026 at 12:47 AM
#Voting starts TODAY, #Michigan! I voted this afternoon and voting is available for the next 4️⃣0️⃣ days. Pro tip: when you return your ballot, campaigns see that you already voted and stop mailing and texting you, so save your candidates some money & save yourself some sanity and #VoteEarly! #BeAVoter
A few weeks before I started working @umich.edu in 1999, my future colleagues published the 1st stories about a 'bioartificial kidney' that aimed to treat chronic kidney disease by adding living kidney cells into a dialysis circuit: web.archive.org/web/20000311...
record.umich.edu/articles/u-r...
record.umich.edu/articles/u-r...
September 24, 2026 at 10:17 PM
A few weeks before I started working @umich.edu in 1999, my future colleagues published the 1st stories about a 'bioartificial kidney' that aimed to treat chronic kidney disease by adding living kidney cells into a dialysis circuit: web.archive.org/web/20000311...
record.umich.edu/articles/u-r...
record.umich.edu/articles/u-r...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Join IHPI's Oct. 7 webinar featuring Caren G. Solomon, senior deputy editor @nejm.org, for insights on #climate and #health research 🌎, publishing 📝, and communicating why research matters to broad audiences.
Learn more & register: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
Learn more & register: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
Climate, Health, and Beyond: An NEJM Editor’s Perspective on Publishing Your Work
ihpi.umich.edu
September 24, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Join IHPI's Oct. 7 webinar featuring Caren G. Solomon, senior deputy editor @nejm.org, for insights on #climate and #health research 🌎, publishing 📝, and communicating why research matters to broad audiences.
Learn more & register: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
Learn more & register: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
I am very proud of the fact that I have worked at @umich.edu for 27 years and never attended a football game.
This may change that.
news.umich.edu/yo-yo-ma-to-...
This may change that.
news.umich.edu/yo-yo-ma-to-...
Yo-Yo Ma to perform music from 'The Lord of the Rings' with Michigan Marching Band
Live from Mordor, it's Saturday afternoon! The University Musical Society and Michigan Marching Band are honoring the 25th anniversary of the film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" w...
news.umich.edu
September 24, 2026 at 5:15 PM
I am very proud of the fact that I have worked at @umich.edu for 27 years and never attended a football game.
This may change that.
news.umich.edu/yo-yo-ma-to-...
This may change that.
news.umich.edu/yo-yo-ma-to-...
Wow! The pediatric COVID shots have been hard for some families to find - heads up Ypsilanti area parents they will have them at these walk-in clinics! (Along with vaccines for grownups of course.)
Free flu and COVID vaccines at YDL-Whittaker start tomorrow! Walk-ins welcome.
📅 Thurs, Sept 24 | 4–8:30pm
📅 Tues, Sept 29 | 10am–1pm
📅 Sat, Oct 3 | 10am–2pm
On Sept 24 and Oct 3, onWHARD will also be here with free anemia screenings, period kits, and health resources.
📅 Thurs, Sept 24 | 4–8:30pm
📅 Tues, Sept 29 | 10am–1pm
📅 Sat, Oct 3 | 10am–2pm
On Sept 24 and Oct 3, onWHARD will also be here with free anemia screenings, period kits, and health resources.
September 24, 2026 at 9:46 AM
Wow! The pediatric COVID shots have been hard for some families to find - heads up Ypsilanti area parents they will have them at these walk-in clinics! (Along with vaccines for grownups of course.)
Reposted by Kara Gavin
The PMC COVlD map is above the fold on the front page of the Detroit Free Press today.
Get boosted. 💉💪😷
Get boosted. 💉💪😷
September 24, 2026 at 2:12 AM
The PMC COVlD map is above the fold on the front page of the Detroit Free Press today.
Get boosted. 💉💪😷
Get boosted. 💉💪😷
Reposted by Kara Gavin
I spoke with @michigandaily.bsky.social about whether college is still worth it. A thread with a few thoughts (spoiler alert - the answer is still "Yes!"): www.michigandaily.com/statement/is...
Is higher education dying?
And most of all, I feel a sense of unease among my peers — from the stress of compiling a spreadsheet of internships in late August, to the early September Reddit posts from undergrads panicking about...
www.michigandaily.com
September 23, 2026 at 11:27 AM
I spoke with @michigandaily.bsky.social about whether college is still worth it. A thread with a few thoughts (spoiler alert - the answer is still "Yes!"): www.michigandaily.com/statement/is...
Please, if you're a parent, an educator, a clinician, a first responder or a community leader, share information about safe firearm storage with anyone who has firearms & may have children in their home or vehicle even occasionally. Free resources from @Umich: firearminjury.umich.edu/safe-firearm...
September 23, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Please, if you're a parent, an educator, a clinician, a first responder or a community leader, share information about safe firearm storage with anyone who has firearms & may have children in their home or vehicle even occasionally. Free resources from @Umich: firearminjury.umich.edu/safe-firearm...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
PAA Vice President-Elect @pamherd.bsky.social, @umich.edu @fordschool.bsky.social, will present the NIH Matilda White Riley Distinguished Lecture on Oct. 7: Life Course Social and Environmental Influences on Later-life Health and Cognition: The Role of Multidisciplinary Research buff.ly/kmST81v
September 22, 2026 at 4:55 PM
PAA Vice President-Elect @pamherd.bsky.social, @umich.edu @fordschool.bsky.social, will present the NIH Matilda White Riley Distinguished Lecture on Oct. 7: Life Course Social and Environmental Influences on Later-life Health and Cognition: The Role of Multidisciplinary Research buff.ly/kmST81v
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Have been wondering when we would start to see real numbers out of Nebraska (the only other estimate circulating, of 200 coverage losses in the first month, cites back to a guesstimate from a pre-implementation interview)
@birdy.bsky.social has scooped the 1st data I have seen on Nebraska Medicaid work reporting requirements and it is worse than I expected.
Incomplete data shows that 1,000 have explicitly lost/denied coverage and almost half of new applicants are not getting thru the red tape/ineligibility.
Incomplete data shows that 1,000 have explicitly lost/denied coverage and almost half of new applicants are not getting thru the red tape/ineligibility.
September 22, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Have been wondering when we would start to see real numbers out of Nebraska (the only other estimate circulating, of 200 coverage losses in the first month, cites back to a guesstimate from a pre-implementation interview)
Reposted by Kara Gavin
this is not paywalls, fyi - this chart looks roughly the same for sites that have had paywalls since long before 2022.
this is all former SEO traffic that has now vanished in exchange for ai search summaries
this is all former SEO traffic that has now vanished in exchange for ai search summaries
September 23, 2026 at 1:39 AM
this is not paywalls, fyi - this chart looks roughly the same for sites that have had paywalls since long before 2022.
this is all former SEO traffic that has now vanished in exchange for ai search summaries
this is all former SEO traffic that has now vanished in exchange for ai search summaries
Here's a wonderful example of a university expert sharing a personal experience to get good #publichealth information out!
Kudos to @adamlauring.bsky.social for spreading the word about what to do after a possible rabies exposure: www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/r...
Kudos to @adamlauring.bsky.social for spreading the word about what to do after a possible rabies exposure: www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/r...
Rabies is on the rise: Experts offer advice
With rabies on the rise, infectious disease experts from Michigan Medicine share advice.
www.michiganmedicine.org
September 22, 2026 at 9:39 PM
Here's a wonderful example of a university expert sharing a personal experience to get good #publichealth information out!
Kudos to @adamlauring.bsky.social for spreading the word about what to do after a possible rabies exposure: www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/r...
Kudos to @adamlauring.bsky.social for spreading the word about what to do after a possible rabies exposure: www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/r...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
9/24, 5pm: Celebrate 100 years of the iconic "Down in Ann Arbor Town" map by learning about how the map came to be and the cartographic context that produced it. (And maybe pick up your own copy!) Join us in the Hatcher Gallery or on Zoom: https://myumi.ch/X8y3r
September 21, 2026 at 5:30 PM
9/24, 5pm: Celebrate 100 years of the iconic "Down in Ann Arbor Town" map by learning about how the map came to be and the cartographic context that produced it. (And maybe pick up your own copy!) Join us in the Hatcher Gallery or on Zoom: https://myumi.ch/X8y3r
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Mental health is complicated before and after pregnancy. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not.
Dr. Kara Zivin is on today's episode to talk about her new book, Persevered, which tells the story of her own mental health crisis before and after she delivered her son in 2011.
Dr. Kara Zivin is on today's episode to talk about her new book, Persevered, which tells the story of her own mental health crisis before and after she delivered her son in 2011.
September 21, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Mental health is complicated before and after pregnancy. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not.
Dr. Kara Zivin is on today's episode to talk about her new book, Persevered, which tells the story of her own mental health crisis before and after she delivered her son in 2011.
Dr. Kara Zivin is on today's episode to talk about her new book, Persevered, which tells the story of her own mental health crisis before and after she delivered her son in 2011.
Reposted by Kara Gavin
incredible synergies across ISR centers on this critical public health and social phenomenon, and what we might do about it
#SuicidePreventionMonth asks Americans to talk more openly about a leading cause of death. That conversation is being reshaped by @kzivin.bsky.social, Lisa Wexler, and Briana Mezuk, whose new approaches look beyond the numbers, into the contexts and lived experiences behind them.
myumi.ch/Ax4Vx
myumi.ch/Ax4Vx
New Approaches, New Understanding: U-M Researchers Rethink How We Prevent Suicide
September marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month; University of Michigan researchers are using new methods that go beyond the numbers to shape understanding and prevention.Every September, Suicide P...
myumi.ch
September 18, 2026 at 7:53 PM
incredible synergies across ISR centers on this critical public health and social phenomenon, and what we might do about it
Wow. Please watch this segment from
@lastweektonight.com if you care about #healthpolicy and #healthinsurance : youtu.be/h1pXm0GjLho?...
#medsky
@lastweektonight.com if you care about #healthpolicy and #healthinsurance : youtu.be/h1pXm0GjLho?...
#medsky
UnitedHealthcare & UnitedHealth Group: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
youtu.be
September 22, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Wow. Please watch this segment from
@lastweektonight.com if you care about #healthpolicy and #healthinsurance : youtu.be/h1pXm0GjLho?...
#medsky
@lastweektonight.com if you care about #healthpolicy and #healthinsurance : youtu.be/h1pXm0GjLho?...
#medsky
Reposted by Kara Gavin
In a new paper in @jamanetworkopen.com, colleagues Vineeth Amba of Mt. Sinai, Sumit Agarwal & Renuka Tipirneni of U-M, and I examine the 'roller coaster' of health insurance access, work hours & income that many low- and middle-income American working adults are on: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
September 21, 2026 at 10:50 PM
In a new paper in @jamanetworkopen.com, colleagues Vineeth Amba of Mt. Sinai, Sumit Agarwal & Renuka Tipirneni of U-M, and I examine the 'roller coaster' of health insurance access, work hours & income that many low- and middle-income American working adults are on: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Ba-Dee-ya, y’all.
Earth Wind Fire September Live Performance
Alt: Earth Wind Fire September Live Performance
static.klipy.com
September 21, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Ba-Dee-ya, y’all.
Reposted by Kara Gavin
September 20, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Research!America statement on reported White House EO coming to advance an external NIH grant-cutting committee:
“Adding more bureaucrats would slow medical progress to a grinding halt,” said Research!America President and CEO Russ Paulsen.
www.researchamerica.org/press-releas...
“Adding more bureaucrats would slow medical progress to a grinding halt,” said Research!America President and CEO Russ Paulsen.
www.researchamerica.org/press-releas...
Research!America Opposes Potential Review Committee of NIH grants - Research!America
Research!America applauds the House of Representatives’ passage of a CR that delays implementation of a proposed OMB rule.
www.researchamerica.org
September 20, 2026 at 11:20 PM
Research!America statement on reported White House EO coming to advance an external NIH grant-cutting committee:
“Adding more bureaucrats would slow medical progress to a grinding halt,” said Research!America President and CEO Russ Paulsen.
www.researchamerica.org/press-releas...
“Adding more bureaucrats would slow medical progress to a grinding halt,” said Research!America President and CEO Russ Paulsen.
www.researchamerica.org/press-releas...
No specifics known yet, but be ready for the public comment process folks…
NEW: The Trump Administration is planning to slash human subject research regulations by redefining informed consent. My latest: www.muellershewrote.com/p/trump-plan...
Trump Plans to Redefine Informed Consent for Human Research Subjects
The Department of Health and Human Services has noticed a forthcoming rule on the OMB regulatory information site to redefine what undue influence means for vulnerable human research subjects
www.muellershewrote.com
September 21, 2026 at 7:21 AM
No specifics known yet, but be ready for the public comment process folks…
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Many things to think about in here. I'm sure @chriscmooney.bsky.social and Lewenstein could have used another 10,000 words to unpack it all.
Some thoughts:
1. The most popular science voices HAVE ALWAYS BEEN communicators. Not journalists. theconversation.com/is-science-j...
Some thoughts:
1. The most popular science voices HAVE ALWAYS BEEN communicators. Not journalists. theconversation.com/is-science-j...
Is science journalism dying? Comparing a ‘science crash’ 40 years ago to today
While science journalism layoffs pile up and publications shutter, more science communication than ever is available via other online venues.
theconversation.com
September 17, 2026 at 1:53 PM
Many things to think about in here. I'm sure @chriscmooney.bsky.social and Lewenstein could have used another 10,000 words to unpack it all.
Some thoughts:
1. The most popular science voices HAVE ALWAYS BEEN communicators. Not journalists. theconversation.com/is-science-j...
Some thoughts:
1. The most popular science voices HAVE ALWAYS BEEN communicators. Not journalists. theconversation.com/is-science-j...