Not a Doctor

  • How the Trump admin is undermining vaccines

    They’re calling all science into question and undermining public trust in the whole endeavor. Messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines heralded a major breakthrough in battling the Covid pandemic, building on three decades of scientific work and earning a Nobel prize. They show promise for treating or preventing certain cancers, rare conditions and infectious diseases — including, potentially,…

    Melody Schreiber

  • NIH director’s own research filled with errors

    Jay Bhattacharya used a flawed study in 2020 to argue for reopening even as Covid gained force. Today, Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), testified before a Congressional committee. The main takeaway: Bhattacharya does not seem interested in defending steep budget cuts to U.S. research. He said budgets are a…

    Melody Schreiber

  • Top US officials throw Covid vaccines into turmoil

    The Trump administration is bypassing scientific evidence and procedure to change vaccine rules. Last week, three top U.S. health officials made an unusual announcement about Covid vaccines. They said they would remove the recommendation for Covid vaccination from the childhood immunization schedule, and would also cease recommending it for pregnant people. The first reason it…

    Melody Schreiber

  • How can lessons from Covid make health care better?

    A new study on Covid mortality underscores the importance of making health care more equitable now, before the next pandemic takes off. Welcome to Not a Doctor. I’m Melody Schreiber, a journalist and the editor of What We Didn’t Expect: Personal Stories About Premature Birth. I’m not a doctor, or a scientist, or really an expert of any kind. I…

    Melody Schreiber

  • Respiratory virus season is here

    But vaccination rates for Covid, flu, and RSV remain low, worrying healthcare providers. Welcome to Not a Doctor. I’m Melody Schreiber, a journalist and the editor of What We Didn’t Expect: Personal Stories About Premature Birth. I’m not a doctor, or a scientist, or really an expert of any kind. I just like to ask questions and try to find…

    Melody Schreiber