Paul Dijkstra
@drpauldijkstra.bsky.social
Sport and exercise medicine physician; DPhil Evidence-Based Health Care;
Director of Medical Education, Aspetar Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Hospital; Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar
Director of Medical Education, Aspetar Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Hospital; Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Head hits desk.
RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."
October 9, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Head hits desk.
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
I love how, when you ask ChatGPT a hard question and it says "thinking", there's a button you can press "skip this step". I guess that's how some human brains work too....
September 30, 2025 at 12:19 PM
I love how, when you ask ChatGPT a hard question and it says "thinking", there's a button you can press "skip this step". I guess that's how some human brains work too....
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Tylenol, or paracetamol, has been used to treat common pains and fevers since 1893, and is one of the safest drugs around
go.nature.com/3IDUgva
go.nature.com/3IDUgva
Tylenol is over 130 years old — why is it still the gold-standard painkiller?
Acetaminophen is one of the safest drugs around, but scientists still don’t know how it reduces pain and fever.
go.nature.com
September 24, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Tylenol, or paracetamol, has been used to treat common pains and fevers since 1893, and is one of the safest drugs around
go.nature.com/3IDUgva
go.nature.com/3IDUgva
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
If you want to show people in your life why doctors say Tylenol DOES NOT cause autism, here are two straight forward explainers: medicalnewsbulletin.com/acetaminophe...
medicalnewsbulletin.com/autism-is-no... #AutRes #EduSky 🩺📊 medsky, 🩺,⚕️ #SciPol 🧪
medicalnewsbulletin.com/autism-is-no... #AutRes #EduSky 🩺📊 medsky, 🩺,⚕️ #SciPol 🧪
No, Tylenol DOES NOT cause Autism and here's the evidence | Medical News Bulletin
Good news for expectant parents: taking Tylenol/paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase your child’s risk of ADHD or autism.
medicalnewsbulletin.com
September 22, 2025 at 5:07 PM
If you want to show people in your life why doctors say Tylenol DOES NOT cause autism, here are two straight forward explainers: medicalnewsbulletin.com/acetaminophe...
medicalnewsbulletin.com/autism-is-no... #AutRes #EduSky 🩺📊 medsky, 🩺,⚕️ #SciPol 🧪
medicalnewsbulletin.com/autism-is-no... #AutRes #EduSky 🩺📊 medsky, 🩺,⚕️ #SciPol 🧪
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Fiona Godlee (previous editor of the BMJ) being arrested yesterday for her support for Palestine.
She is a good and brave woman with a record of being on the right side of history.
She is a good and brave woman with a record of being on the right side of history.
September 7, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Fiona Godlee (previous editor of the BMJ) being arrested yesterday for her support for Palestine.
She is a good and brave woman with a record of being on the right side of history.
She is a good and brave woman with a record of being on the right side of history.
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
A short explanation of p-hacking and why it absolutely makes sense to ask HHS to release the study methods of their autism report in advance.
September 6, 2025 at 12:15 PM
A short explanation of p-hacking and why it absolutely makes sense to ask HHS to release the study methods of their autism report in advance.
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Kennedy may have had a grilling from the committee but what is the outcome? He clearly lied to senate both here and previously with conflicting statements throughout but one set actions to me is most concerning 🧵🧪
In heated Senate committee meeting, RFK Jr says fired CDC chief lied about ouster
www.cidrap.umn.edu
September 5, 2025 at 5:41 AM
Kennedy may have had a grilling from the committee but what is the outcome? He clearly lied to senate both here and previously with conflicting statements throughout but one set actions to me is most concerning 🧵🧪
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Mandating Indoor Air Quality in Public Buildings.
Our paper in Science.
🧪 #healthpolicy
Mandating Indoor Air Quality in Public Buildings.
Our paper in Science.
🧪 #healthpolicy
www.science.org
September 2, 2025 at 1:32 PM
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Mandating Indoor Air Quality in Public Buildings.
Our paper in Science.
🧪 #healthpolicy
Mandating Indoor Air Quality in Public Buildings.
Our paper in Science.
🧪 #healthpolicy
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
BREAKING: Big moment as CDC staff stage a mass walkout.
They have lined the street outside its HQ to greet and salute the four top officials who have resigned in protest at RFK Jr’s attack on the agency’s science base.
(🎥 AP)
They have lined the street outside its HQ to greet and salute the four top officials who have resigned in protest at RFK Jr’s attack on the agency’s science base.
(🎥 AP)
August 28, 2025 at 7:42 PM
BREAKING: Big moment as CDC staff stage a mass walkout.
They have lined the street outside its HQ to greet and salute the four top officials who have resigned in protest at RFK Jr’s attack on the agency’s science base.
(🎥 AP)
They have lined the street outside its HQ to greet and salute the four top officials who have resigned in protest at RFK Jr’s attack on the agency’s science base.
(🎥 AP)
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
These are the sorts of attacks on experts that resulted in a domestic terrorist firing 500 shots at the CDC just over a week ago. If you stand for evidence based public health interventions, you basically get a target placed on your back by DHHS leadership.
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
RFK Jr. attacks pediatricians’ group over vaccine recommendations
The American Academy of Pediatrics had earlier urged parents to get young children vaccinated against Covid — pushing back against the health secretary’s stance.
www.politico.com
August 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
These are the sorts of attacks on experts that resulted in a domestic terrorist firing 500 shots at the CDC just over a week ago. If you stand for evidence based public health interventions, you basically get a target placed on your back by DHHS leadership.
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
THIS
An abbreviation (ABB) in a journal article (JA) or Grant Application (GA) is rarely worth the words it saves. Every ABB requires cognitive resources (CR) and at my age by the time I'm halfway through a JA or GA I no longer have the CR to remember what your ABB stood for.
August 18, 2025 at 7:02 PM
THIS
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Barbara’s right - this is an awesome article. Starts with AI and the techno-rational approach to democratic decision-making (eek) but goes on to tell us why the political insights of pragmatists like Dewey and Addams remain hugely relevant today.
everyone who believes that AI will fix democracy: Read this piece by @himself.bsky.social @hahrie.bsky.social
knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...
knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...
AI and Democratic Publics
knightcolumbia.org
August 19, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Barbara’s right - this is an awesome article. Starts with AI and the techno-rational approach to democratic decision-making (eek) but goes on to tell us why the political insights of pragmatists like Dewey and Addams remain hugely relevant today.
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Reading a research paper that involves using AI in clinical settings?
This article has questions to help you critically appraise AI papers:
bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/4/1/...
This article has questions to help you critically appraise AI papers:
bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/4/1/...
July 14, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Reading a research paper that involves using AI in clinical settings?
This article has questions to help you critically appraise AI papers:
bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/4/1/...
This article has questions to help you critically appraise AI papers:
bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/4/1/...
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Gonna write a paper about a paradox. Systematic reviews squash primary studies into tables; meta-analyses sum the findings of similar studies. 'Homogeneity' tends to be valued. But the REALLY pivotal studies are often unique, distinctive, imaginative, break-the-rules kind. Thoughts? #academicsky
July 11, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Gonna write a paper about a paradox. Systematic reviews squash primary studies into tables; meta-analyses sum the findings of similar studies. 'Homogeneity' tends to be valued. But the REALLY pivotal studies are often unique, distinctive, imaginative, break-the-rules kind. Thoughts? #academicsky
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
"This paper is destined to become a citation classic."
Thank you, Reviewer 2. Now, to your 40 suggestions for improvement...
#academicsky
Thank you, Reviewer 2. Now, to your 40 suggestions for improvement...
#academicsky
July 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM
"This paper is destined to become a citation classic."
Thank you, Reviewer 2. Now, to your 40 suggestions for improvement...
#academicsky
Thank you, Reviewer 2. Now, to your 40 suggestions for improvement...
#academicsky
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Plenty studies showing that your postcode is a better predictor of your health outcomes than your genome.
The BBC & Telegraph are trailing Wes Streeting’s technophile health plans, including genomic mapping at birth.
Is this really gonna transform the NHS into a prevention service within 10 yrs, as Wes claims? For v rare genetic conditions, praps. But for the real burden of disease?
Thoughts, #medsky?
Is this really gonna transform the NHS into a prevention service within 10 yrs, as Wes claims? For v rare genetic conditions, praps. But for the real burden of disease?
Thoughts, #medsky?
June 22, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Plenty studies showing that your postcode is a better predictor of your health outcomes than your genome.
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Who’s on RFK’s new vaccine advisory group? What are their conflicts of interest? Read and weep. open.substack.com/pub/sheenacr...
Vaccine advisory committees and transparent practices
Why changes to ACIP are concerning.
open.substack.com
June 16, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Who’s on RFK’s new vaccine advisory group? What are their conflicts of interest? Read and weep. open.substack.com/pub/sheenacr...
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Today I asked AI to summarise an academic paper. The actual results were the opposite to what was hypothesised (and to what others had shown). The AI summary assumed the study had found what everyone else had found. Hot tip: don’t use a stochastic parrot to summarise an outlier paper. #academicsky 🧪
June 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Today I asked AI to summarise an academic paper. The actual results were the opposite to what was hypothesised (and to what others had shown). The AI summary assumed the study had found what everyone else had found. Hot tip: don’t use a stochastic parrot to summarise an outlier paper. #academicsky 🧪
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
OUR NEW PAPER: the 'final findings' paper from the Remote by Default 2 study:
"After the disruptive innovation: How remote and digital services were embedded, blended and abandoned in UK general practice"
(will do thread on this soon)
www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hsdr/publish...
#academicsky 🧪
"After the disruptive innovation: How remote and digital services were embedded, blended and abandoned in UK general practice"
(will do thread on this soon)
www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hsdr/publish...
#academicsky 🧪
www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk
June 11, 2025 at 3:57 PM
OUR NEW PAPER: the 'final findings' paper from the Remote by Default 2 study:
"After the disruptive innovation: How remote and digital services were embedded, blended and abandoned in UK general practice"
(will do thread on this soon)
www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hsdr/publish...
#academicsky 🧪
"After the disruptive innovation: How remote and digital services were embedded, blended and abandoned in UK general practice"
(will do thread on this soon)
www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hsdr/publish...
#academicsky 🧪
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Putting together some teaching materials on AI in healthcare - what a useful paper this is bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/4/1/...
How to read a paper involving artificial intelligence (AI)
This paper guides readers through the critical appraisal of a paper that includes the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical settings for healthcare delivery. A brief introduction to the diff...
bmjmedicine.bmj.com
May 22, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Putting together some teaching materials on AI in healthcare - what a useful paper this is bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/4/1/...
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
This is so exciting! The German National Library of Medicine @zbmed.bsky.social just had its first open meeting on the plan for an open & independent PubMed safety net. Here's my write-up @plos.org on the meeting & how institutions & others can help absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/05/14/g...
#MedLibs
#MedLibs
Germany's Plan for an Open and Independent PubMed Safety Net - Absolutely Maybe
A few months ago, I wrote about reasons to be concerned about the reliability of PubMed under the new regime at the…
absolutelymaybe.plos.org
May 14, 2025 at 3:41 PM
This is so exciting! The German National Library of Medicine @zbmed.bsky.social just had its first open meeting on the plan for an open & independent PubMed safety net. Here's my write-up @plos.org on the meeting & how institutions & others can help absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/05/14/g...
#MedLibs
#MedLibs
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Retraction of RCTs (because they were at best flawed & at worst fraudulent) leads to substantial changes in evidence syntheses (systematic reviews and meta-analyses). How many more crap RCTs are lurking? Time to stop hero-worshipping this design. GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT.
www.bmj.com/content/389/...
www.bmj.com/content/389/...
Investigating the impact of trial retractions on the healthcare evidence ecosystem (VITALITY Study I): retrospective cohort study
Objective To investigate the impact of retracted trials on the production and use of healthcare evidence in the evidence ecosystem.
Design Retrospective cohort study based on forward citation searchi...
www.bmj.com
May 9, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Retraction of RCTs (because they were at best flawed & at worst fraudulent) leads to substantial changes in evidence syntheses (systematic reviews and meta-analyses). How many more crap RCTs are lurking? Time to stop hero-worshipping this design. GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT.
www.bmj.com/content/389/...
www.bmj.com/content/389/...
Reposted by Paul Dijkstra
Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education, sent Harvard a letter.
They graded it.
Bwahahaha.
They graded it.
Bwahahaha.
May 7, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education, sent Harvard a letter.
They graded it.
Bwahahaha.
They graded it.
Bwahahaha.