Joshua Sharfstein
@drjoshs
Posting on public health topics … some interesting photos if I manage to take them … & occasionally the Baltimore Orioles.
I am so sad to read about the passing of Joni Holifield. She gave so many young people in Baltimore a reason to believe. Her memory should inspire us all. app.thebaltimorebanner.com/PV7SAX32FJDI...
"Essential reading for anyone committed to healing in the digital age" Thanks to Dr. Dava Wilson for her review of our book Information Sick! Read the review: www.socialworker.com/feature-arti... Get the book: www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...
“The words we use to describe data should not be the words we use to define people.” — Dr. Michelle Taylor, convocation speaker @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social
Point of view: Congratulations to the more than 1000 graduates of the @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social 🎊🎈🎉
New from @cspinet.org -- a searchable database of federal vaccine actions in this Trump Administration. Search by agency, type of action, and headline. apps.knack.com/thestraights...
Another symptom of "information sick" -- families trying to give birth at home without any support. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/s...
While the rest of the world is busy eliminating the horrible disease of hepatitis C, we're seeing a rise in cases and a decline in treatments. Sigh. Time to pass the Cassidy-Van Hollen bill to establish a meaningful national hep C elimination effort. From @jama.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Thanks so much to lead author Catherine Gong and my co-authors Dr. Richard Lofton, Dr. Odis Johnson, and Priyanka Fernandes. The full paper is available online in the Journal Of School Health, a terrific journal (with the best acronym). end/ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Implications: Policymakers should pay attention to the major deficits in school facility conditions ... especially those in disadvantaged areas. 6/
What pathways might connect school facility conditions with educational outcomes? 1. Missed school from facility failures 2. Interference with learning environment 3. Demoralization 5/
A key question is whether this correlation is independent of social disadvantage (including poverty). We found that it is -- for kids in communities with high social disadvantage. 4/
... and found that in school facilities with the worst conditions, there was more absenteeism and lower test scores (MCAT for K-8, SAT, ACT). Black and Hispanic children were more likely to attend these schools. 3/
Thanks to Senator Ossoff and Rep. Kiggans for their bipartisan investigation into the inappropriate incarceration of youth with serious mental health needs www.ossoff.senate.gov/wp-content/u...
new blog from @asthonews.bsky.social about measles elimination status spoiler alert: it matters www.astho.org/communicatio...
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. But it’s still the right question.
Timely: Did Americans vote in 2024 for major changes to vaccine policy? No. Only 3% picked vaccines as a top 3 issue in the election. Our just-published research letter in @jamahealthforum.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
HHS responds -- again -- to questions about changing vaccine standards with two words. But as I wrote in @milbankfund.bsky.social a few weeks ago, asserting "gold standard" science is not a meaningful response. Nor does it reflect integrity in policymaking. www.milbank.org/quarterly/op...
With CDC now adding to confusion online about vaccine safety, it's more important than ever to establish networks of trusted sources -- and accurate information -- across communities. With my colleague Dr. Vanya Jones in @jamahealthforum.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
I wish I didn't have to re-up this Q & A and podcast with Professor Dan Salmon of the Institute for Vaccine Safety @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social ... setting out the evidence about vaccines & autism. publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/vaccine...
Mac Lumpkin, Lisa Ludeman, and I wrote this commentary in @jamainternalmed.com about the need for medications tested in developing countries to be available there after approval. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... 1/2
What's better than "gold standard science"? Integrity in policymaking. Some thoughts in The Milbank Quarterly. www.milbank.org/quarterly/op...
Just received an advance copy of our new book *Information Sick*— Coming in October. As timely as ever.
Times may be tough for public health, but that only makes #convocation that much more inspiring @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social
It wasn't that long ago when HHS led a campaign for its employees to feel welcome. It was the first Trump Administration. www.milbank.org/quarterly/op...
This @lenasun.bsky.social story is stunning. The person hired by HHS to investigate vaccine safety not only was sanctioned for practicing medicine without a license ... but also had his previous work described as "uninterpretable" in a major IOM report. See: www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
A morning of watching fantastic middle school documentaries on the subject of “rights and responsibilities” — just what the doctor ordered. #NationalHistoryDay
As recently as last week, the CDC website had a tool for parents to help them figure out which vaccines their children need. This tool now appears to be offline. See: www2.cdc.gov/vaccines/chi... Last week: web.archive.org/web/20241218...