Matt Healy

@matthewdhealy

Techbio, Virology, Drug Discovery, Data, Midwest, Engineering, NLP, science, theology, history of science

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Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· 26d

Abstract kaleidoscopic digital artwork with fourfold symmetry in deep crimson, black, orange, and gold. Repeating geometric motifs resemble glowing stained-glass windows or ornate mechanical emblems, alternating with circular medallions outlined in red. Teal accents appear at some intersections, adding cool contrast to the warm palette. Fine mirrored lines create a richly textured, seamless pattern that extends to all edges of the square image. A bright lens flare near the upper left and a smaller glow near the center add the impression of light reflecting across the design. The overall effect is intricate, luminous, and hypnotic.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· 26d

Dog days of summer: the air feels like a panting dog's breath.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· 27d

Book I'd love to read but would be utterly unqualified to write.

Mock book cover titled ***Southern Song of Taiwan***. At the top, in small capital letters, the subtitle reads: **“Culture, Continuity, and a Chinese Civilization Apart.”** The main title dominates the page, with **“Southern Song”** in large dark red serif type, a smaller italic **“of,”** and **“Taiwan”** in large navy-blue serif type. Beneath it is the subtitle: **“A History Beyond Conquest, A Culture Beyond Rupture.”**

The lower third of the cover features a tranquil Southern Song–style ink-and-watercolor landscape: misty blue-green mountains descend to a calm sea dotted with traditional Chinese sailing vessels. A solitary rocky island rises from the water in the foreground, while layered coastal cliffs fade into the haze, evoking classical Chinese landscape painting. The overall palette is warm parchment, muted blues, and soft greens, giving the cover the appearance of an academic history book that blends Chinese artistic tradition with modern historical scholarship.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· 27d

airquality.weather.gov?element=smok... Forecast map of near-surface wildfire smoke concentrations across the northern United States and southern Canada.

https://airquality.weather.gov/?element=smokes01&mapcenter=-86.75%2C44.67&mapzoom=5.797652785853339&subregion=CONUS&region=CONUS

Forecast map of near-surface wildfire smoke concentrations across the northern United States and southern Canada, valid 4 AM on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Colors range from green (low smoke) through yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown (extreme smoke). The heaviest smoke forms a broad plume stretching from central Saskatchewan and Manitoba southeast across northwestern Ontario into the Upper Midwest. Northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula are shown in purple and brown, indicating very high to extreme smoke concentrations. Much of Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio is covered by red and purple shading, indicating unhealthy to hazardous smoke levels. Smoke thins toward the eastern Great Lakes and New England, where colors transition to yellow and green. Numerical labels indicate predicted smoke concentrations in micrograms per cubic meter.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· 27d

Some quotes from an excellent post on yesterday's disastrous confirmation hearing for a new CDC Director. I agree with every word. insidemedicine.substack.com/p/she-blew-i...

Some quotes from an excellent post on yesterday's disastrous confirmation hearing for a new CDC Director. I agree with every word.

“Unfortunately, based on yesterday’s hearing, Cassidy has reason to believe that Schwartz is not another Susan Monarez. That is, under pressure from Kennedy, she’ll fold like a Creutzfeldt-Jakob protein. By the end of the day, Cassidy’s words could not be mistaken. He was sorely, sorely disappointed.

You could see his blood boiling. He also knew he had himself, in large part, to blame. Cassidy, of course, was bamboozled during Secretary Kennedy’s confirmation process. In a now classic blunder, he bargained that a vote for Kennedy in 2025 would prevent a pro-Trump primary challenge in 2026. Of course, he was wrong and will go down as one of the great losers in modern Senate history—having sold out the health of American children in exchange for a doomed re-election campaign. (If you’re ever having a really bad day, just read that sentence back and you’ll feel comparatively accomplished.)c

“Let me be clear: until yesterday, I supported President Trump’s nominee for CDC Director, Dr. Erica Schwartz. Yesterday, Dr. Erica Schwartz lost my support.”

If someone cares more about their own professional prospects than doing what’s right, it’s a recipe for decay. When Dr. Susan Monarez stood up to Secretary Kennedy’s anti-vaccine pressure, she showed that she was mission-driven.

“After yesterday’s hearing, I’m forced to conclude the opposite about Dr. Erica Schwartz. She embodied ambition without a mission. That’s a shame, because I had had high hopes for her.

But I’m equally worried that if she fails to survive the Senate HELP Committee confirmation vote, whoever comes next will be worse.“

https://insidemedicine.substack.com/p/she-blew-it-cdc-director-nominee

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· 27d

Impressions from this afternoon's walk and structures for several of my currently prescribed drugs. During my recovery from surgery, the doctors strongly encourage me to take many walks. Good thing I happen to live in a nice place to take walks!

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· 28d

Many national anthems have violent words. The French one talks of watering fields with enemies' "impure blood" for instance.

Chart from The Economist showing violence-related words per 100 words in national anthems. Portugal, France, Mexico, Tunisia, Uruguay, and Scotland are the most violent. USA is a little below the most violent. UK is pretty low in violent content.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· 29d

Achtung! Alles Promptenpeepers!
Das LLM-Maschine ist nicht fuer blinden glauben.
Ist easy hallucinatieren mit perfekten grammaren
und confidenten hundsdreck. Das humanen brainen
muss skeptiken machen und quellen-checken bei
richtig-clicken. Das Model ist fuer denken-helfen.
Nicht fuer denken-ersetzen. Das rubbernecken
sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das
pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das tokenflussen.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jul 8

In the beginning was the Initiative.
And the Initiative was without budget, without timeline, and without measurable outcomes.
And darkness was upon the faces of the graduate students and staff charged with implementing it.
And they said unto the Principal Investigator,
"This is bullshit, and we cannot abide its stench."
And the Principal Investigator said unto the Department Chair,
"It has a powerful stench, redolent of manure."
And the Department Chair said unto the Associate Dean,
"It is an organic fertilizer of uncertain provenance."
And the Associate Dean said unto the Dean,
"It is a promising interdisciplinary opportunity for institutional growth."
And the Dean said unto the Provost,
"It represents an innovative strategic initiative aligned with our educational mission."
And the Provost said unto the Chancellor,
"It is a transformational investment in the future of the University."
And the Chancellor said unto the Board of Trustees,
"This bold initiative will redefine higher education for the twenty-first century."
And the Trustees looked upon the Initiative and saw that it was visionary.
And they established a Steering Committee, a Working Group, three Task Forces, and an Office of Initiative Assessment.
And no graduate student was ever seen again.

In the beginning was the Program.
And the Program lacked a validated target, a reproducible assay, and any convincing data.
And darkness was upon the faces of the Research Associates and Scientists tasked with making it work.
And they said unto the Senior Scientist,
"This is bullshit."
And the Senior Scientist said unto the Principal Scientist,
"The biology is highly questionable."
And the Principal Scientist said unto the Research Fellow,
"The mechanism remains speculative."
And the Research Fellow said unto the Senior Director,
"The hypothesis is bold and merits additional investigation."
And the Senior Director said unto the Vice President,
"The preliminary findings suggest a potentially differentiated platform…

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jul 7

Michelle Goldberg in NY Times:
"Platner offered many on the left something they’re desperate for: working-class aesthetics married to uncompromising lefty politics. Many progressives want to believe that with a sufficiently populist message and style, they can win over voters alienated from the Democratic Party, obviating the need for ideological concessions. Platner seemed to embody this possibility, and that made a lot of people look past a lot of red flags until it was almost too late."

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jul 5

Abstract digital artwork with repeating mirror symmetry, creating a tessellated pattern of diamond- and hourglass-shaped motifs. The design is built from repeated mathematical curves overlaid in black on layered geometric forms in yellow, orange, green, blue, and white. The overlapping functions create moiré-like interference patterns and a stained-glass or woven-textile appearance, giving the image a strong sense of rhythm, depth, and intricate mathematical structure. A bright glare near the upper left indicates the image was photographed from a printed page.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jul 4

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.
— Teddy Roosevelt

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jul 4

1. "There is recycling, and the bin shall be a snare drum."
The Book of Municipal Surprises 4:11
2. "Demetrius hath good report of all acceptation, that the prophet came on three camels."
The Book of Committee Minutes 2:19
3. "The fruit of righteousness grew into a great kudzu plant."
The Book of Gardening Mishaps 8:3
4. "Shall horses run upon the head of the rock? Will one plow there with oxen?"
The Book of Impractical Agriculture 12:7
5. "My foot standeth in an even place: and the flower of Iowa languisheth."
The Book of Hiking Guides 5:14
6. "The company of scholars were consumed in the four and twentieth Zoom session."
The Book of Scheduling Conflicts 9:22
7. "A man plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbour."
The Book of Lost Footwear 1:9
8. "Now a mediator who is a mediator but also is not a mediator is not quickly broken."
The Book of Recursive Logic 3:1416
9. "I will stand upon my watch: and what shall I answer when I am reproved?"
The Book of Performance Reviews 6:2
10. "Aged nerds are teachers of good things; for them we have great joy and consolation."
The Book of Yentas 11:18

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jul 3

hese two graphs undermine much of RFK Jr.'s public-health narrative.

Bar chart from the CDC showing the leading underlying causes of death in the United States in 2025. Heart disease (694,708 deaths) and cancer (622,832) are by far the leading causes, followed by unintentional injuries, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, kidney disease, and chronic liver disease/cirrhosis.

Line graph showing the U.S. age-adjusted death rate from about 1999–2025. Rates declined for two decades, spiked sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021, then returned to the pre-2020 trend, reaching a record low of 689.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2025. The 2025 point is almost exactly aligned with the pre-pandemic trend, rather than showing a large drop comparable to the pandemic spike

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 29

Never expected to get interesting political news from a GOLF website, but golfers online are having lots of fun with pix of Trump carrying an iPhone, NOT A TRUMP PHONE on a golf course. His branded phones work but are basically 2015 phones for 2026 prices.

Parody image of two cups and string labeled Trump Phone.

Never expected to get interesting political news from a GOLF website, but golfers online are having lots of fun with pix of Trump carrying an iPhone, NOT A TRUMP PHONE on a golf course. His branded phones work but are basically 2015 phones for 2026 prices.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 28

Green creature emerging from Reflecting Pool

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 25

Screenshot of a parody financial-news graphic. A mock TV interview appears in bold black text on a white background, with alternating Anchor and Strategist dialogue. The strategist delivers polished-sounding but increasingly meaningless market commentary such as, “The short answer is both,” “The underlying strength remains very strong,” and “Volatility…is really a reflection of the consumer,” before concluding, “The biggest risk is becoming too confident in conclusions that were never intended to be correct over and over again.” An italicized mock legal disclaimer at the bottom reads, “Investment products are not FDIC insured. They are not bank guaranteed. They may lose value.” Behind the dialogue is a faint pastel word cloud of financial buzzwords—large words include “growth,” “investment,” “America,” “markets,” “economy,” “consumer,” and “Hyzy”—creating the visual impression of cable business news. The overall effect satirizes how market commentary can sound authoritative and polished while conveying very little.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 24

New data from England show that IF every adolescent in the world got HPV vaccines, we could basically end cervical cancer deaths in the future.

Image is a map of vaccination rates: for the USA as a whole it's around 63% and in many states it's much lower. To end cervical cancer deaths it needs to be much higher.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 23

Vintage style image of Keosaqua, IA. Historic Hotel Manning in "Steamboat Gothic" style, stairs and waterfront scenes in Lacey-Keosaqua State Park, and flowers.

Photo collage of Keosaqua, IA. Historic Hotel Manning in "Steamboat Gothic" style, stairs and waterfront scenes in Lacey-Keosaqua State Park, and flowers.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 22

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 21

Screenshot of a LinkedIn discussion that shows the importance of checking AI output before posting: if it has blunders that are obvious to those familiar with the subject then the post loses all credibility.

Screenshot of a LinkedIn discussion about an anatomical infographic linking erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. The central infographic, apparently AI-generated or AI-assisted, contains anatomical labeling errors. In the comments, a cardiothoracic surgeon points out that the illustration incorrectly labels the testicle as the aorta and a femoral artery as a coronary artery. A PhD computational biologist replies that such mistakes are obvious and notes that anatomical illustrations should be checked against authoritative medical references before publication. He adds that chemists have a similar frustration with artwork that contains impossible chemical structures, suggesting the use of real molecular structures from PubChem when decorative molecules are needed. His comment concludes: “Impossible molecules annoy a chemist just as much as impossible anatomy annoys a surgeon!”

Links mentioned:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430685/
A source of authoritative medical and anatomical information

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VMovW0Y0kGf_XLnRSmTrm0o0VP31BK-zMgsDV49RoyY/edit?usp=sharing
Tool that generates links to randomly selected chemical structures from the PubChem database

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 20

Screenshot of a FB Thread. It's too long for alt-text, but you can see it here using an Incognito Browser: https://www.facebook.com/matthew.healy.3348/posts/pfbid0isCcw3hUHqX6chGnJ38EMAxL4wcqeUYvTLZc7DrCooftyqW5dzfrVoV4T4soZE5xl

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 20

Every High School in Iowa, or more properly "Ioway," as it was once pronounced, should add this book to its assigned reading list for all students. This is The Route of My Forefathers: the 1837 Ioway Map, tells the story of how the Ioway tribe tried to avoid being forced to leave their homeland.

Cover of the book described below: Every High School in Iowa, or more properly "Ioway," as it was once pronounced, should add this book to its assigned reading list for all students.

This is The Route of My Forefathers: the 1837 Ioway Map, tells the story of how the Ioway tribe tried to avoid being forced to leave their homeland.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 20

Abstract circular mandala-like artwork with a textured canvas appearance. Five black starburst flower forms surround a central starburst, from which red branching lines radiate outward like roots, veins, or flames. A wavy blue outline and looping yellow accents trace the edge of a pale central shape. Around it is a ring of dark purple marks resembling petals, feathers, or brushstrokes. The background is tan and gray with diagonal streaks, giving the image a layered, hand-painted mixed-media feel. Symmetrical overall, but with irregular organic details and contrasting colors.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 18

MAGA is like Vichy France

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/opinion/christian-nationalism-maga-france.html

All of those things are true, but they’re only part of the story. And that’s not why I’m writing about Vichy France today. The beating heart of Vichy — its animating purpose — wasn’t collaboration with Germany, much less an alliance with the Nazis. While there were plenty of fascists and Nazi sympathizers in Vichy’s ranks, its true purpose could be summed up in four words.

Make France great again.

Here was the Vichy regime’s core argument: Liberal democracy had failed. Its individualism and its decadence (especially its decadence) had resulted in the military and moral catastrophe that was the fall of France.

With liberal democracy in decline, its most dangerous successor wasn’t necessarily fascism, at least to the Vichy government, but communism, and there was only one way to combat communism and restore French greatness — what many in Vichy called the National Revolution.

And what was the National Revolution? As Jackson wrote, “The National Revolution defined itself first and foremost in opposition to liberal individualism, which uprooted people from the ‘natural’ communities of family, workplace and region.”

These communities “supposedly offered ‘real’ freedoms unlike the abstract and hollow rights vaunted by liberals.”

...

The Vichy attack on liberalism was comprehensive. Jean Bichelonne, Vichy’s secretary general of the Ministry of Industrial Production, announced in 1942 that “a modern state should not be allowed to run according to the blind and simplistic rules of the liberal economy.”

The echoes of Vichy are everywhere in American Christian nationalism. There is much the same critique of liberalism — that its emphasis on individualism has drained the society of moral strength and communal spirit. Individualism breeds decadence, the argument goes, as people seek self-actualization and give it their highest value.

And there is much the same critique of women’s rights —…

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 18

Frank Bruni in NY Times, on the Iran deal: "his insistence that total failure is nonpareil triumph"

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 18

Before arguing about methods, make sure everyone agrees on what quantity is being estimated.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 17

What operational use of AI tools entails in a clinical context: the need for statistically grounded validation and calibration: www.linkedin.com/posts/matthe... erictopol.substack.com/p/agentic-ai...

These papers reinforce a lesson I've learned many times in a career spanning engineering, computational biology, and clinical trial data: measured performance matters more than theoretical capability.

The models used here will soon be obsolete. What will endure are the validation methods—sampling strategies, calibration procedures, reproducibility standards, and outcome-based evaluation. As medical AI becomes more agentic, the key question may shift from "Which model?" to "How do we know it works?"

In my own work, I have found that a surprisingly small number of human-curated cases can provide strong statistical assurances about AI-assisted NLP performance—but only when the curation is performed on carefully designed stratified random samples of model output. Sound statistical design of the validation process, under real-world operational conditions, is crucial.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matthewdhealy_today-nature-published-2-new-ai-medical-agentic-activity-7473129716854439936-JaCz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAM8nkMBtWNTOLs5EYculWnVbMWj1t31y0M

https://erictopol.substack.com/p/agentic-ai-comes-to-medicine

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 17

Framed landscape artwork depicting a wooded sandstone cliff at Wildcat Den State Park in Iowa. Tall trees rise above a rocky escarpment, with sunlight glowing softly through the canopy. A narrow stone stairway climbs the slope beside clusters of white wildflowers in the foreground. At right, a historic dark wooden mill with a tall smokestack sits partly hidden among the trees. The image uses muted gray-green and sepia tones with fine sketch-like textures.

Matt Healy@matthewdhealy· Jun 16