All of this #Djokovic circus has gotten me thinking about the last few years, and why we are where we are today in this pandemic. When we could have potentially been in a better place, with more tools, more protection, and more people still with us. A brief 🧵 The dissemination of inaccurate information online is not something new. The anti-vaccine movement is not new. Celebrities and "medical pundits" trying to repackage snake oil as "all natural cures for all that ail you" are not new. So what is new?

usatoday.com/story/life/ent…

I have been loving this movie @EncantoMovie so I’m going to try a thread here on how the people in the movie could represent groups during this pandemic. Feel free to add your own thoughts! Mirabel: Medical students. Constantly trying to think outside the box and find innovative solutions to any and every problem that comes up in this pandemic.

Hi leaders across the country. Is this thing on? Is anyone listening? This messaging "everyone's going to get it" isn't helping. We need mask requirements when indoors, vaccine requirements for engaging in society, like going into restaurants. We need help. Please do something. We need to reimplement risk mitigation strategies. Capacity limits. Social distancing. We know SO MUCH more than we did a year ago. Why are we not doing what we know works?! These restrictions don't need to be long term. They can be short lived once we get things under control.

📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢Healthcare workers are sounding the alarm. The question now is this…is anyone still listening?
Read below and think of what you can do to protect yourself and ur loved ones.
🧪 Cancel large gathering or make them virtual. Keep gatherings small.
@IMPACT4HC 🧪 Require negative test the day of the event and make sure everyone is vaccinated AND boosted in the small groups you are socializing with
😷 #WearAMask when indoors and with people outside of your household.
😷 Upgrade your cloth mask ASAP.

chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct…

I have been getting so many questions about boosters, omicron, etc. Here are some thoughts on the State of #COVID19 and how to stay safe right now.

📢 If you haven't gotten your booster yet, get it ASAP. We KNOW the booster is helping protect people even more from #Omicron. 📢 If you got Johnson and Johnson as your first shot, get a Pfizer or Moderna booster, they are more effective. It is OK to mix and match. And if you got Pfizer and want a Moderna booster or vice versa, that is also ok
cnn.com/2021/12/16/hea…

I give many talks on #GenderEquity and #WomenInMedicine. Two slides I have started sharing are examples of all the incredible work #WomenInMedicine continue to do, and emphasize the fact that this work is largely UNPAID and does not help in the promotions process in academia. 🧵 A survey from @McKinsey @LeanInOrg showed the IMMENSE amt of invisible work taken on during the pandemic by women across >400 companies. This work is necessary for companies and organizations to thrive and function. But the women often see no ROI.

womenintheworkplace.com

It's been over a week since @TedLasso Episode 6 for which I was asked to be a guest on the amazing #MedLasso podcast with @ETSshow and @TheRealDoctorT. While we covered quite a bit, there was SO much we couldn't get to. Sharing a brief 🧵 here.
explorethespaceshow.com/podcasting/med… I mentioned at the beginning that I had major #ImplicitBias when we first met @TheKeeleyJones. Since then, she has become one of my FAVORITE characters, for many reasons.
There is so much more to her than what is on the surface. She epitomizes don't judge a book by its cover.

Brief #covid19 reminder thread. I know we are 18+months into this thing. And URIs are back and ppl are getting non-covid19 illnesses. BUT covid is still here and it’s spreading fast. If you feel any symptoms. Do not go to work, don’t go to that social event, get yourself tested and quarantine until your test comes back negative. If you are unvaccinated and were exposed, quarantine for the amount of time recommended. Why may you ask?

I want to share a brief reflection on perspective. A🧵 Many times in my life I have been told that I am too bubbly, too verbose, too excitable, too loud... too much. I have been told to speak softer, speak less, not show my enthusiasm, not show my excitement...its unprofessional. I once attended a talk by the brilliant @LaurieBaedke who said (and I paraphrase here) "There are people who want you to put @SPANX your personality...those are not your people." We all nodded & applauded, but recently I had a moment that opened my eyes to what she really meant.

I did a @fox32news w @SylviaFOX32 on the new @US_FDA approval of Pfizer today. Interview link to follow. I made an analogy that I want to mention here.

People say it’s their personal choice to get vaccinated. Which I understand. I want to make a comparison here. A brief 🧵 In the US, it is legal to drink alcohol if you are over 21. You can drink as much as you want. It is your choice. But you cannot get into a car and drive if you are inebriated. Why is that? Because we are members of a society.

A lot of people are asking me how I talk to people about getting vaccinated. I'll share a short thread here. This is by all means not all encompassing so please share your own experiences and tips below! The first thing I always do is I try to find out the "Why?" My first question is always "Would you mind telling me why you haven't gotten the vaccine yet?" But I always ask in a neutral non accusatory way. You don't want to put the person on the defensive.

I haven’t been posting much original content lately bc, tbh, I’ve been a bit burned out. And school is about to start. But I’ve been seeing some wacky posts and theories lately, some from “respected” HCW who, I personally feel, have become more contrarian for personal gain. 1. Regarding whether masks work…I can’t believe we are still having this discussion. Surgeons have used masks for years for infection control. And re:#COVID19 the data is there. For those calling for placebo controlled trials, those would be unethical.

science.sciencemag.org/content/372/65…

1/
A conversation with my lovely older AA patient in clinic today

Pt: Doc, I have cancer, I'm >65, how can I get my #COVID19Vaccine

Me: I can help you! We will be send a MyChart msg next week. OR if you want one sooner, @IMPACT4HC created a resource..

impact4hc.com/vaccine-genera… 2/
Pt: Doc , I don't use computers

Me: Ok, I can get you set up for MyChart now and...

Pt: Doc doc doc, you don't understand. I don't have a computer, I don't USE computers. I'm here now, sign me up! I don't TRUST computers, never have! You have a computer there, sign me up!

Let’s talk about one cost of this pandemic we aren’t fully able to quantify. As an oncologist, care for my patients, and my potential patients is suffering because of #covid19. Even those who will never contract the disease themselves. Let’s unpack this.

cancer.org/about-us/what-… Unfortunately, a less visible direct impact of the pandemic on patients with cancer & other chronic illness is the damage to their care we can’t quantify. Delays in
🏥diagnosis bc of necessary lockdowns
🏥surgeries bc of resources
🏥treatment ➡️ progression of disease.

1/ The #blackcloud. A thread. When I was a resident @uiccom @UICDom I was often known as a “black cloud.” For those not in medicine, this can mean a variety of things. For example someone who has very busy inpatient months, admits very complex patients, and is overall very busy. 2/ in my case being a #blackcloud meant when I was on service, we always had a full service, often w very complicated patients, & when we discharged 1 patient, 3 more would be admitted. The attendings and residents knew when I was service, it was more than likely we would be busy

Did you miss early bird registration for
@WIMSummit ? It's ok!
You can still get discounted pricing if you are
🌟An @AMWADoctors member
🌟Have a group of 5 or more
🌟Attended a #WIMSWebinar (a few more are coming up!) #WIMStrongerTogether
womeninmedicinesummit.org Wondering why you should attend?
🌟Renowned speakers
🌟Networking Opportunities
🌟Mentorship, Sponsorship, Leadership, Media, Speaker training
🌟Writing in medicine workshop
🌟Personal and Professional development
🌟So much more!

Did you miss early bird registration for @WIMSummit?
It's ok!
You can still get discounted pricing if you are
🌟 An @AMWADoctors member
🌟 Have a group of 5 or more
🌟 Attended a #WIMSWebinar (a few more are coming up!) #WIMStrongerTogether

womeninmedicinesummit.org Wondering why you should attend?
🌟Renowned speakers
🌟Networking Opportunities
🌟Mentorship, Sponsorship, Leadership, Media, Speaker training
🌟 Writing in medicine workshop
🌟Personal and Professional development
🌟So much more!

Socialization while #socialdistancing. A thread. I know this is hard. I’m going to share here how we celebrated my daughters 6th birthday to give some examples on how you can still celebrate the important moments that continue to happen as life goes on during this #pandemic. First we asked my daughter to pick a few friends and we asked each to sign up for a 20 min slot. We asked that anyone who came wear a mask, and asked if anyone was having symptoms to pls decline the invite. We decorated our garage and put tape on the ground #6FtApartAndMasked

I haven’t commented on this yet bc I have had a hard time finding the words to express what I am feeling. The amount of hate speech, racism, and intolerance I have observed in there recent protests to reopen the country break my heart and make my soul hurt.

https://twitter.com/evebmd/status/1256748686761132032

#covid19 doesn’t care about political affiliation or personal views. It doesn’t care if you believe in open carry laws or what god you follow, or if you believe in god. These protests are not only dangerous bc they are large social gatherings that spread this deadly virus...

Thread: Something happened in my home state of Michigan today that made me sad. I wasn't going to comment initially, but then I went to Facebook & saw people I grew up w, who know my husband and I are physicians and call us for medical advice, were defending these actions. I was flabbergasted that there are educated people who still don't understand the importance of #SocialDistancing in this #COVID19 global pandemic. Here is what happened in Michigan. I will try and respond to some of the inaccurate info still out there.
nypost.com/2020/04/15/mic…

There have been what feels like an incredibly high number of unprofessional social media posts/ videos coming out of healthcare professionals the last few days. I am going to do a quick #SoMe thread/tweetorial on how to use social media AND STAY professional AND authentic 1. Remember the basics. Be HIPPA compliant. No patient names, ages, picture, videos, identifiers.
2. Don’t insult or make fun of your patients. We are seeing people at their most vulnerable. You don’t know their story or what kind of day or life they have had.