Whitney Zahnd
@whitneyzahnd.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Health Management and Policy at UIowa| UIUC alumna | Posts about rural health, cancer disparities, access to care, faith, cats, and women’s basketball| Opinions are mine, not my employer’s | Website: https://www.acre-lab.org
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Whitney Zahnd
@whitneyzahnd.bsky.social
· Nov 13
NRHA's Journal of Rural Health | National Rural Health Association - NRHA | NRHA
NRHA produces several digital and print publications to engage NRHA members and inform rural health professionals. These include our weekly newsletter NRHA Today, our quarterly magazine Rural Horizons...
www.ruralhealth.us
The Journal of Rural Health ( @jruralhealth.bsky.social), @ruralhealth.bsky.social's scientific journal, is soliciting applications for new editorial board members! As chair of the board, please apply! We'd welcome your applications by December 18th. www.ruralhealth.us/publications...
“In his name all oppression shall cease”
I…did not see the closing sentence of this photo caption coming: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/15/n...
December 16, 2025 at 12:13 AM
“In his name all oppression shall cease”
I think this may have been related to an activity of one of our student organizations, but I had 7 thank you/holiday cards in my box today! What a pleasant surprise. 🥹
December 15, 2025 at 5:34 PM
I think this may have been related to an activity of one of our student organizations, but I had 7 thank you/holiday cards in my box today! What a pleasant surprise. 🥹
AI would have chosen 'slup'.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
December 15, 2025 at 2:53 PM
AI would have chosen 'slup'.
Reposted by Whitney Zahnd
At Brown University today, a staff member decided to offer "free mom hugs." I saw many students take her up on the offer. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/... @washingtonpost.com
December 15, 2025 at 2:07 AM
At Brown University today, a staff member decided to offer "free mom hugs." I saw many students take her up on the offer. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/... @washingtonpost.com
If you need a timeline cleanse, Pudge the locker room cat for Bowling Green State University participated in graduation this weekened! www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8yduVTF/
@UnclePudgy getting ready for the big day🧡 #BGSU #Grad #Pudge #PudgeTheCat #Graduation
TikTok video by Official BGSU
www.tiktok.com
December 15, 2025 at 12:11 AM
If you need a timeline cleanse, Pudge the locker room cat for Bowling Green State University participated in graduation this weekened! www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8yduVTF/
Damn.
so far tonight msnbc has interviewed two students from brown university that are also survivors of separate high school shootings.
insanity.
insanity.
December 14, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Damn.
DJ Noelle! Happy Caturday!
December 13, 2025 at 5:23 PM
DJ Noelle! Happy Caturday!
She's not even going to be able to vote for herself. Two of her last three races she's won by only 2 and 799 votes, respectively.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks changes voting address back to Ottumwa home
Mariannette Miller-Meeks changes voting address back to Ottumwa home
U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who since 2022 has been registered to vote in Scott County, earlier this year changed her voter registration back to her Ottumwa home, according to voter records from Wapello County.
www.thegazette.com
December 13, 2025 at 1:26 PM
She's not even going to be able to vote for herself. Two of her last three races she's won by only 2 and 799 votes, respectively.
Give people their flowers. Always.
You can do this right now:
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
December 12, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Give people their flowers. Always.
This year I’ve purchased wide leg jeans and a Sarah McLachlan album. It’s like high school all over again.
December 10, 2025 at 3:22 AM
This year I’ve purchased wide leg jeans and a Sarah McLachlan album. It’s like high school all over again.
I really don't how The Onion stays in business at this point.
Marco Rubio ordered diplomats to return to using Times New Roman font in official communications, calling his predecessor's decision to adopt Calibri a “wasteful” diversity move
Rubio Stages Font Coup: Times New Roman Ousts Calibri
The secretary of state called it a "wasteful" diversity move, according to an internal department cable seen by Reuters.
www.huffpost.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:02 AM
I really don't how The Onion stays in business at this point.
Reposted by Whitney Zahnd
An extraordinary loss of institutional knowledge. 🧪
December 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
An extraordinary loss of institutional knowledge. 🧪
The biggest source of healthcare waste is consistently administrative complexity, not fraud and abuse. Yet, this administration is insistent on expanding administrative complexity--veterans, Medicaid work requirements, etc.--under the guise of rooting out the lesser problem, creating more waste.
Conservatives are trying to cut VA benefits for nearly seven million veterans, claiming the current disability compensation encourages veterans to stay sick and cheat the system. From Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early:
trib.al/K77Yf8G
trib.al/K77Yf8G
Trump Is Coming for Veterans’ Disability Benefits - The American Prospect
The veterans disability system has traditionally been a sacred cow for politicians of all stripes. Now, as part of the conservative war on the Department of Veterans Affairs, the administration is falsely alleging that many former soldiers are cheating the system.
trib.al
December 8, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The biggest source of healthcare waste is consistently administrative complexity, not fraud and abuse. Yet, this administration is insistent on expanding administrative complexity--veterans, Medicaid work requirements, etc.--under the guise of rooting out the lesser problem, creating more waste.
This is a really important policy issue!
Iowa has the highest percentage of physicians who are on H1-B visas, not even considering other impacted health professions.
Iowa has the highest percentage of physicians who are on H1-B visas, not even considering other impacted health professions.
Health orgs wrote letters asking Sec. Noem to exempt health care workers from the new $100K H-1B visa fee. There's been no response.
Learn about a rural hospital that may have to pay the fee after it received job apps from international but no American lab techs.
My latest:
Learn about a rural hospital that may have to pay the fee after it received job apps from international but no American lab techs.
My latest:
December 8, 2025 at 4:18 PM
This is a really important policy issue!
Iowa has the highest percentage of physicians who are on H1-B visas, not even considering other impacted health professions.
Iowa has the highest percentage of physicians who are on H1-B visas, not even considering other impacted health professions.
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
December 7, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
A great 4-0 basketball day for both the alma mater and employer! 🧡💙💛🖤
December 7, 2025 at 3:11 AM
A great 4-0 basketball day for both the alma mater and employer! 🧡💙💛🖤
Amid all else, there are still a lot of scientists and public servants doing important work at the CDC.
Yesterday, they released updated PLACES data--model-based county and census tract level estimates of a lot of important health and sociodemographic data.
data.cdc.gov/browse?categ...
Yesterday, they released updated PLACES data--model-based county and census tract level estimates of a lot of important health and sociodemographic data.
data.cdc.gov/browse?categ...
Data | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Data published by CDC public health programs to help save lives and protect people from health, safety, and security threats.
data.cdc.gov
December 6, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Amid all else, there are still a lot of scientists and public servants doing important work at the CDC.
Yesterday, they released updated PLACES data--model-based county and census tract level estimates of a lot of important health and sociodemographic data.
data.cdc.gov/browse?categ...
Yesterday, they released updated PLACES data--model-based county and census tract level estimates of a lot of important health and sociodemographic data.
data.cdc.gov/browse?categ...
He designed one of the buildings on the University of Iowa campus.
www.iowaarchitecture.org/discover/pro...
www.iowaarchitecture.org/discover/pro...
December 6, 2025 at 3:11 PM
He designed one of the buildings on the University of Iowa campus.
www.iowaarchitecture.org/discover/pro...
www.iowaarchitecture.org/discover/pro...
Reposted by Whitney Zahnd
Are all these vaccines we're giving seriously harmful?
No, they are saving lives.
No, they are saving lives.
December 5, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Are all these vaccines we're giving seriously harmful?
No, they are saving lives.
No, they are saving lives.
There was a whole episode of Scrubs on this topic years ago.
Ugh. A frustrating article, @washingtonpost.com!
Full-body MRI? wapo.st/44Sf9dV
No good evidence to support (industry study?). Exploitive money grab. Likely = > harm. Iatrogenic injury. Anxiety. Cost (to individual & system). Etc.
Professional orgs recommend against. Just... no.
Full-body MRI? wapo.st/44Sf9dV
No good evidence to support (industry study?). Exploitive money grab. Likely = > harm. Iatrogenic injury. Anxiety. Cost (to individual & system). Etc.
Professional orgs recommend against. Just... no.
Column | A full-body MRI can reveal hidden killers. Do we want to know?
Like many emerging technologies, this one can improve our lives, make us miserable or both. Nobody knows yet which it will be.
wapo.st
December 5, 2025 at 5:46 PM
There was a whole episode of Scrubs on this topic years ago.
Brandi Carlile: NPR Tiny Desk Concert ♥️ www.npr.org/2025/12/03/g...
Brandi Carlile: Tiny Desk Concert
Brandi Carlile has a way of making any performance feel like a tête-à-tête, a deep emotional exchange between friends that just happens to take place in a crowd.
www.npr.org
December 5, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Brandi Carlile: NPR Tiny Desk Concert ♥️ www.npr.org/2025/12/03/g...
Anytime I get a manuscript review request
![Comic. Doing a task using a company or organization’s website: [flowchart] Go to website, try to log in → Did it work? → Yes → Try to do your task. → Did it work? Yes → Nice! Done! If logging in did not work → Spend hours troubleshooting account / login. If that works, go to Try to do your task. If no → Give up and call customer service. If spending hours troubleshooting doesn’t work, also give up and call customer service. After calling customer service: Hold message: “Did you know you could do all this more quickly and easily on our website? Just go to w-w-w dot…” → Throw phone and laptop into the sea.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreiewqnkcrrc4tgla7j5skyz2djf3mrrvre3577c4xcgzurvq33bw4y@jpeg)
December 4, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Anytime I get a manuscript review request
👀 Not gonna lie--I might print some Exoplanet Travel Bureau coloring sheets for post-semester destressing later this month.
Today I learned that NASA has a collection of free ebooks that can be downloaded as pdfs or ebub format.
The science books even include a children’s section with fun activites and coloring books!
science.nasa.gov/multimedia/s...
The science books even include a children’s section with fun activites and coloring books!
science.nasa.gov/multimedia/s...
Science e-Books - NASA Science
From Earth and the other planets in our solar system, to supermassive black holes and the distant galaxies that contain them, explore NASA science and imagery through our library of e-books.
science.nasa.gov
December 4, 2025 at 8:52 PM
👀 Not gonna lie--I might print some Exoplanet Travel Bureau coloring sheets for post-semester destressing later this month.