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Devon Greyson

Devon Greyson

@greyson.bsky.social

800 followers 490 following 1.8K posts

Academic & writer. 🇨🇦Applied Public Health Chair. I study health information practices & interventions, often pertaining to vaccination and/or gender. I also bicycle & drink coffee a lot, and write fiction a little. Recovering classical bassist. .. more

Public Health 36%

Medicine 17%

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Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · Mar 5

2025 update because I'm not seeking to hire anyone or sponsor any new students right now. Possible exceptions for people who are *really* allied with my funded work (e.g., on mpox vax, vax misinfo) and/or have access to external funding (e.g., fellowship, home nation). Lab is at capacity for now.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · Feb 11

Prospective students: Here's what you need to know if you think you might want to work with me (a thread):

1. I'm not looking to recruit new students at the moment. (There could be some exceptions, especially for research-oriented Master's students in my school or interdisciplinary studies.)

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 22h

Further, search engines type search is increasingly personalized to the browser/machine on which you are searching. So even what might seem like a simple test to compare [giraffes medieval Europe] and [Were there giraffes in medieval Europe?] may result in consistent findings across tests.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 22h

Unfortunately, search engines (unlike scholarly databases in your library) are not very transparent about their algorithms, so I don’t know that I can tell you definitively which ones are better for to phrase in what ways. And they are also constantly changing…

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 22h

This is likely still true in most library scholarly databases to which you have access.

However, many search engines are now trained differently, and in some it may even be an asset now to include a complete English question.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 22h

You search in a generationally-appropriate way, likely using keywords even when using Google. This used to be necessary, b/c “stop words” (e.g., a, and, the, is) used to make search algorithms less efficient.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 22h

Yes, there are data.

But to expand, the short answer is that it depends on the database you are searching. They all have their own search syntax algorithms.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 1d

Fellow academics who work in schools where you sponsor/commit to supervision of PhD or Master's applicants: how many cold enquiries a week do you receive and what country are you in? Is this year typical or different from past years for you?

Reposted by Devon Greyson

Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s my story about Kitimat’s new motto of “it’s not for everyone”, which originally was going to be a ranking of all 161 municipal slogans in British Columbia until my bosses were like “justin this video is 14 minutes long” and “did you just make of slogans for half of these”

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 1d

Who likes to talk methodology, pedagogy, and mixed methods research design? I want some buddies in this area to bat ideas around with. #MixedMethods #ResearchMethods #CommunityOfPractice

Reposted by Devon Greyson

Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 3d

Here are a few negative impacts of GenAI and misinformation on immigrants and settlement services, along with mitigation strategies for building resilience.

Reposted by Daniel Kim, Devon Greyson

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 3d

Frikkin amazing stuff.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 4d

💔

Kentucky Lantern @kentuckylantern.com · 4d

Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough.

Pertussis, best prevented with a vaccine, has killed three Kentucky babies in the last 12 months.

kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...

Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough • Kentucky Lantern

A third unvaccinated infant in Kentucky has died of pertussis as public health officials urge Kentuckians to get vaccinated against the disease.

kentuckylantern.com

Reposted by Michael Barnett, Philip N. Cohen, Devon Greyson , and 1 more Michael Barnett, Philip N. Cohen, Devon Greyson, Ryan Calo

Kentucky Lantern @kentuckylantern.com · 4d

Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough.

Pertussis, best prevented with a vaccine, has killed three Kentucky babies in the last 12 months.

kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...

Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough • Kentucky Lantern

A third unvaccinated infant in Kentucky has died of pertussis as public health officials urge Kentuckians to get vaccinated against the disease.

kentuckylantern.com

Reposted by Devon Greyson

Caroline Orr Bueno @rvawonk.bsky.social · 5d

X rolled out a new feature that accidentally exposed a massive covert foreign influence operation — more than one, actually — that is currently live on the platform. It’s a huge story and I wrote about it — and what it means for America — here:

open.substack.com/pub/weaponiz...

X Just Accidentally Exposed A Vast Covert Influence Network Targeting Americans

How a new X feature led to the most sweeping public exposure of covert foreign activity on a major platform since 2016.

open.substack.com

Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 5d

Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...

Meta halted internal research suggesting social media harm, court filing alleges

Meta is alleged to have halted internal research suggesting social media harm, according to court documents.

Reposted by Devon Greyson

Canada Healthwatch 🍁 @canadahealthwatch.ca · 7d

If we ignore Canada’s mental health crisis, AI companies will exploit it canadahealthwatch.ca/2025/11/22/i... @spichaksimon.bsky.social

If we ignore Canada’s mental health crisis, AI companies will exploit…

Canada’s mental-health system increasingly pushes people toward AI “alternatives.”

canadahealthwatch.ca

Reposted by Evelyne de Leeuw, Devon Greyson

Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 7d

This is what a genuine threat to academic freedom looks like

Sarah T Roberts, PhD @ubiquity75.xyz · 8d

An absolutely shocking letter from the House Committee on Education and Workforce to Berkeley, demanding, among other things, info on internal processes and syllabi.

pdfhost.io/v/4VaaH4PvJP...

Berkeley_Letter_9.26.2025 | PDF Host

PDF Host read free online - Berkeley_Letter_9.26.2025 - undefined

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Devon Greyson, Smith , and 5 more Shannon Vallor, Devon Greyson, Smith, Melanie C. Green, Adrian Daub, Mark Rice, Woodrow Hartzog, Peter Jacobs

Micah @rincewind.run · 7d

evergreen

Tweet from @PPathole

Tech enthusiasts: my entire house is smart

Tech workers: the only piece of technology in my house is a printer and I keep a gun next to it so I can shoot it if it makes a noise I don’t recognize

Reposted by Mary Feeney, Devon Greyson, Michael Jones‐Correa

Matthew Noe 🔜 MICE @noethematt.bsky.social · 7d

"Countries with state subsidies for abortion, transgender-friendly policies for children, hate speech laws and affirmative action policies will now be considered to be violating human rights under rules imposed at the [US] State Department..."

www.forbes.com/sites/maryro...

Abortion And DEI Policies Now Considered Violations Of Human Rights, U.S. Says

The Trump administration has overhauled how the State Department conducts its annual Human Rights Report.

Reposted by Devon Greyson

Adam R Houston @healthlawadamh.bsky.social · 7d

Lots to like in this #pharmacare report (it's feisty!) tho I still worry its approach to WHO #EssentialMedicines lets fall through the cracks the many drugs on the WHO EML💊📜, from #albendazole to #tuberculosis drugs, that aren't actually sold in Canada despite being the recognized standard of care.

Screenshot of the cover of the Final Report of the National Pharmacare Committee of Experts 2025 from this link: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/hc-sc/documents/services/publications/health-system-services/health-system-services-report-national-pharmacare-committee-experts/report-national-pharmacare-committee-experts.pdf

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Mary Corcoran, Devon Greyson , and 2 more Scott L. Greer, Mary Corcoran, Devon Greyson, Michael H. Whitworth, Philipp Sarasin

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 9d

Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.

There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.

Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople

Closing Central Madrid To Cars Resulted In 9.5% Boost To Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis

City of Madrid significantly boosted the takings of its shops and restaurants last Christmas by banning cars from the CBD, finds an analysis by Spain's second largest bank.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 10d

(Or even if not quite =, good enough that the loss in learning is outweighed by the greater # served. For ex, it’s only 60% as good but we can teach 3x as many so it’s a net gain in terms of instructor time. A very quant way to think about it, but larger classes are driven by economic pressures.)

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 10d

Yes, are you aware of anyone using online interactive modules successfully for graduate level qualitative methods training? (Maybe Master’s level, since it seems unlikely at PhD level.) I’d love to hear from instructors who feel they’ve been able to give equivalent instruction in large groups.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 10d

Heading to Montréal for CBRC Summit! If you are too, I’d love to connect about queering pandemic preparedness, gender health misinformation, public health surveillance ethics, and related topics.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 10d

#QualitativeHealthResearch #QualitativeMethods
Talk to me abt course size for grad level qualitative methods.

I have always believed small is important for these courses. But, am I out of date?

Are people offering semester-long, effective, graduate-level quali methods courses w 50-100 students?

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Ian Hall, Lesley A. Hall , and 4 more Shannon Vallor, Ian Hall, Lesley A. Hall, Peter Campbell, Devon Greyson, Margot C. Finn, Larry W. Hunter

Charles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · 12d

"Powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o model by default...tests repeatedly showed that the AI toy dropped its guardrails the longer a conversation went on, until hitting rock bottom on incredibly disturbing topics."

AI-Powered Stuffed Animal Pulled From Market After Disturbing Interactions With Children

FoloToy says it's suspended sales of its AI-powered teddy bear after researchers found it gave wildly inappropriate and dangerous answers.

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 12d

But at least that whole process happened in relatively appropriate locales! No beds to be seen! (Low bar, but…)

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 12d

Oof, that’s so rough.

I had one in the midwestern USA where everything/everywhere was sooooo fragranced. Including/worst of all the personal vehicle someone was driving me from place to place in. My allergic self was…not at my best. 😵‍💫

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 13d

I had at least one (as a job candidate) somewhere around 2016/2017.

Audra Wolfe @audrajwolfe.bsky.social · 13d

I thing I sometimes thing about is that university departments were still doing job interviews in hotel rooms in the mid aughts

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Devon Greyson, Alan Richardson

Audra Wolfe @audrajwolfe.bsky.social · 13d

I thing I sometimes thing about is that university departments were still doing job interviews in hotel rooms in the mid aughts

Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 13d

😮Whoa. I was not expecting that. I have questions.