Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH
Infectious Disease Epidemiologist 🏳️🌈with a focus on sexual health. Former academic, current local public health practitioner. Opinions are my own.
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH🦠What happens when you say you will only protect babies of infected moms, but you are bad at detecting infected moms❓ 🚫You miss a lot of babies who needed protection. This is exactly why in 1991 we went from only vaccinating babies of Hepatitis B positive moms to vaccinating all babies.
- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHSec. Kennedy must appear before the HELP Committee to explain why his vaccine advisory committee, in strong disagreement with the medical & scientific community, voted to end a decades-long recommendation that newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine. This vaccine saves lives.
- This whole thread 💔. It is more than heartbreaking, it is the road map for poorer health and more preventable deaths in the US and globally.
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHNew from me: I talked to CDC staffers about the new vaccines and autism page. They said things like: “The best way I can put it is it feels like we’re on a hijacked airplane.” “I think people are starting to see that we can’t fulfill our mission here.”
- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHIf there was any doubt at all that the CDC is fully destroyed, this page on autism and vaccines on its website confirms it. It's now just another vessel of dangerous health misinformation. I have no words. This is beyond sad.
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- The gross harms of this administration permeate every aspect of daily life.
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHNEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.” Among those RIFd: —leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases; —leadership of global health center —leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4
- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH"Black people are tired. Not metaphorically tired—actually tired. The kind of tired that turns every group chat into a mix of gallows humor and emotional triage." I write about white ignorance and how exhausting it is to hear white ppl insist "this isn't who we are, when it's ALWAYS who we've been.
- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH"This is extortion, plain and simple.... The only solution is solidarity and collective action against this effort at federal control over higher education." A sobering analysis of the illegality of the administration's "compact" and its stakes for higher ed. 🎁🔗 www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
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- These proposed cuts will be devastating. Take a moment to use your voice! (See below).
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHACOG reaffirms that acetaminophen is safe for managing pain and fever during pregnancy. No reputable studies support suggestions like those in HHS’s recent announcement linking acetaminophen use in pregnancy to autism; in fact, high-quality studies show no such risk. bit.ly/47Wxc59
- Thinking of my friends with autism and their families, especially this week as the storm of misinformation and stigma from HHS & RFK Jr swirls again. One of my fav artists on social media @devthepineapple.bsky.social says it best:
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHThe @washingtonpost.com story on Tylenol & autism leaves out a MAJOR 2.5M sibling-controlled study of children in Denmark, which "found no evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy was associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH25% of Drs in US are foreign grads. Many are on an H1B visa. This will hit health systems hard especially rural hospitals and hospitals in underserved areas that sponsor these visas through waiver programs. The old cost was about 5000$ a year. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
- As a WA resident, very much appreciate the solidarity and evidence-based guidelines, but it shouldn’t have to be this way. Every American deserves this and had this just 8 months ago.
- PH experts acknowledge "that a baby’s risk of contracting hep B is low if the [birthing parent] is negative... But they say the broad recommendation should be maintained bc of the original reason it was put in place: Many babies slipped through the cracks." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
- “The risk of missing a case of hepatitis B is so significant that I just can’t imagine why we would delay a vaccine that is proven to be helpful and efficacious,” Dr. Brenna Hughes @acog.org & @idsog.bsky.social member. Important context for ACIP tomorrow. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/h...
- There has been a lot written in the past week. This piece by Ta-Nehisi Coastes is a must read. www.vanityfair.com/news/story/c...
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- @nwslsoccer.com My heart goes out to @savdemelo @racinglouisvillefc and @reignfc. Please tell me when a player goes off unconscious in an ambulance that the game will be called @nwsl. Nothing is bigger than the physical and mental well-being of the players.
- Public health folks! ⬇️
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHThe professor has been fired and senior administrators removed from their post. No mention of this in the New York Times, The Free Press, The Atlantic or other outlets who drove the campus speech moral panic.
- Well done @wadohealth.bsky.social!! Already shared this with a number of WA residents who were concerned about their ability to get the vaccine.
- Public health folks don’t take a formal oath, but in the same manner are deeply committed to the rigorous evaluation of data to support the health of our communities. RFK Jr demonstrated from day 1 that he only cares about data that supports his ideology. He must go. For the health of us all.
- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHIn response to the dismantling of the CDC, California, Oregon, and Washington have launched the West Coast Health Alliance, which will make their own science-based vaccine guidelines, and make sure vaccines are accessible to everyone.
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHGood.
- Thank you Dr. Daskalakis for your leadership & unwavering commitment to inclusive public health. ❤️🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ An important and heartbreaking interview. The C.D.C.’s Vaccine Chief on Why Quitting Was His Only Option www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/p...
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHBREAKING: Big moment as CDC staff stage a mass walkout. They have lined the street outside its HQ to greet and salute the four top officials who have resigned in protest at RFK Jr’s attack on the agency’s science base. (🎥 AP)
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- I stand in solidarity with my CDC colleagues. Y’all are dedicated public servants committed to evidence-based public health. Sending love from an LHJ.
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHThe ideological cancellation of $800 million of scientific research grants because they supposedly focused on DEI was just backed by the Supreme Court. This is horrific on so many levels.
- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH5-4 Supreme Court rules that NIH can terminate grants pending the full ruling. thehill.com/regulation/c... I have no (printable) words...
- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHThere is no solace for NIH funded researchers in this Supreme Court decision. Grants that were ripped away on dubious grounds, restored by a reasonable judge are now again terminated by an out-of-control Supreme Court. Labs will shutter, people will lose jobs. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...
- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHThese are the sorts of attacks on experts that resulted in a domestic terrorist firing 500 shots at the CDC just over a week ago. If you stand for evidence based public health interventions, you basically get a target placed on your back by DHHS leadership. www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHThey recovered over 180 bullet shells at the CDC. Debris from shattered glass is still being cleaned up. I am completely stunned at how quickly the news cycle has moved on. This was an act of terrorism targeting public health experts, and the response seems to be a collective shrug.
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- I don’t the media and our larger community understands how devastating this attack is for the dedicated staff who work at CDC and all of us in public health, most importantly the family of Officer Rose. May his memory be a blessing.
- A clear, concise and accurate summary of all the ways this EO will further tank US science excellence under this authoritarian regime.
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHRFK Jr. has now officially stated that he will dismantle the United States Preventive ServicesTask Force (USPSTF). This is an independent body of expert scientists who volunteer their time to review data and provide guidance to Americans on important things like cancer screenings.
- Hi public health friends! Please join me on 8/5 - especially folks in WA state who want to do great things to support the health of our communities.
- Defend Public Health (DPH) is standing up and fighting back. Join DPH on August 5, at 5pm ET to discuss and co-design how we will build DPH State Teams. actionnetwork.org/events/envis...
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- Grateful to have such incredible experts as part of @idsog.bsky.social to share about measles and the critical role of vaccination. #IDSOG2025
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- Reposted by Jen Balkus, PhD, MPHNEW PIECE IS UP. I don’t enjoy facing the truth about this court, but it must be done. Yesterday’s decision in McMahon has me convinced. Hope you’ll sign up for the September webinars. We need the people - not just lawyers - to understand what’s at stake. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
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- Great list of actions below. I have found those conversations with acquaintances or friends of friends who are not engaged in science or research super impactful. Putting a human face/interaction to what is happening sticks with people.
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