Anna Pfenniger
@apfenniger.bsky.social
Electrophysiologist, basic scientist interested in mechanisms of arrhythmias, with a love for coffee, scuba-diving and walkable neighborhoods.
I love when science investigates children’s books.
Eric Carle describes this in A House for Hermit Crab!
Eric Carle describes this in A House for Hermit Crab!
November 10, 2025 at 11:10 PM
I love when science investigates children’s books.
Eric Carle describes this in A House for Hermit Crab!
Eric Carle describes this in A House for Hermit Crab!
#AHA25 Come for the science, stay for the friends! @ahascience.bsky.social
November 9, 2025 at 2:14 PM
#AHA25 Come for the science, stay for the friends! @ahascience.bsky.social
Excited to be in New Orleans for @ahascience.bsky.social Scientific Sessions 2025. This city knows!
November 7, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Excited to be in New Orleans for @ahascience.bsky.social Scientific Sessions 2025. This city knows!
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
🧵 Myth Busting Monday: “Vitamin supplements can help your immune system fight off viruses and bacteria.”
The idea that taking vitamin supplements can “boost” your immune system and help you fight infections has been around for decades. It feels intuitive but the science is far more nuanced.
The idea that taking vitamin supplements can “boost” your immune system and help you fight infections has been around for decades. It feels intuitive but the science is far more nuanced.
October 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
🧵 Myth Busting Monday: “Vitamin supplements can help your immune system fight off viruses and bacteria.”
The idea that taking vitamin supplements can “boost” your immune system and help you fight infections has been around for decades. It feels intuitive but the science is far more nuanced.
The idea that taking vitamin supplements can “boost” your immune system and help you fight infections has been around for decades. It feels intuitive but the science is far more nuanced.
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:
« Alternating bundle branch block »
« Alternating bundle branch block »
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:
"Nice person, painless jaundice."
"Nice person, painless jaundice."
In honor of spooky month, share a four letter word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.
"The FLIPL was rejected"
"The FLIPL was rejected"
October 12, 2025 at 1:55 PM
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:
« Alternating bundle branch block »
« Alternating bundle branch block »
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
As a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, here are a list of exposures with conclusive evidence for adverse fetal & childhood outcomes:
Alcohol
Tobacco
Cannabis
Maternal suicide
Maternal homicide
Viruses (CMV, influenza, COVID, HIV, HepB&C)
Bacteria (syphilis, listeria)
Parasites (toxo)
Alcohol
Tobacco
Cannabis
Maternal suicide
Maternal homicide
Viruses (CMV, influenza, COVID, HIV, HepB&C)
Bacteria (syphilis, listeria)
Parasites (toxo)
September 23, 2025 at 10:53 PM
As a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, here are a list of exposures with conclusive evidence for adverse fetal & childhood outcomes:
Alcohol
Tobacco
Cannabis
Maternal suicide
Maternal homicide
Viruses (CMV, influenza, COVID, HIV, HepB&C)
Bacteria (syphilis, listeria)
Parasites (toxo)
Alcohol
Tobacco
Cannabis
Maternal suicide
Maternal homicide
Viruses (CMV, influenza, COVID, HIV, HepB&C)
Bacteria (syphilis, listeria)
Parasites (toxo)
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
A CRO has been scamming academic and industry labs in the US with fraudulent data that has been published in Nature and other high impact journals. Leonid has written a great piece on my findings: forbetterscience.com/2025/09/22/i...
In Bad Company
“Authors thank the members of NeuroDigitech for their contribution to data generation, and all the animals that contributed to these studies.”
forbetterscience.com
September 22, 2025 at 11:18 AM
A CRO has been scamming academic and industry labs in the US with fraudulent data that has been published in Nature and other high impact journals. Leonid has written a great piece on my findings: forbetterscience.com/2025/09/22/i...
I use my Brompton folding bike every day (combined with commuter rail). Here holding fresh croissants for my team!
September 17, 2025 at 1:24 PM
I use my Brompton folding bike every day (combined with commuter rail). Here holding fresh croissants for my team!
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
I care for children in the hospital on inpatient & consult services.
Most weeks there are at least a few kids admitted with vaccine preventable diseases.
Often in children who can’t get vaccinated themselves.
15 years in pediatrics and I’ve never seen a single one admitted with vaccine injury.
Most weeks there are at least a few kids admitted with vaccine preventable diseases.
Often in children who can’t get vaccinated themselves.
15 years in pediatrics and I’ve never seen a single one admitted with vaccine injury.
September 9, 2025 at 1:20 AM
I care for children in the hospital on inpatient & consult services.
Most weeks there are at least a few kids admitted with vaccine preventable diseases.
Often in children who can’t get vaccinated themselves.
15 years in pediatrics and I’ve never seen a single one admitted with vaccine injury.
Most weeks there are at least a few kids admitted with vaccine preventable diseases.
Often in children who can’t get vaccinated themselves.
15 years in pediatrics and I’ve never seen a single one admitted with vaccine injury.
Basic science research tools don’t always have to be high-tech/expensive. Rice cooker ftw!
August 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Basic science research tools don’t always have to be high-tech/expensive. Rice cooker ftw!
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
As our kids go #BackToSchool, never forget that we ARE the traffic that we’re afraid of. If more kids walked, biked or rode transit to school, it would erase a massive number of car trips each day, and our kids would be safer, healthier and better at school. HT Ian Lockwood.
Spread the word.
Spread the word.
August 19, 2025 at 4:26 PM
As our kids go #BackToSchool, never forget that we ARE the traffic that we’re afraid of. If more kids walked, biked or rode transit to school, it would erase a massive number of car trips each day, and our kids would be safer, healthier and better at school. HT Ian Lockwood.
Spread the word.
Spread the word.
Excellent summary with outstanding graphics. Read it!
A must-read, must-share piece - clearly deconstructing the shoddy science of the Geiers (who are inexplicably in charge of studies at HHS).
Consider this an early warning for what lies ahead. 🛟🩺🧪
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Consider this an early warning for what lies ahead. 🛟🩺🧪
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | The Playbook Used to ‘Prove’ Vaccines Cause Autism (Gift Article)
Data can easily be manipulated to show a causation that doesn’t exist.
www.nytimes.com
August 19, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Excellent summary with outstanding graphics. Read it!
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
Not sure how many scientists here have tried Claude Code or similar command line coding assistants. I had a complicated family property tax problem that was best solved by a brute force Monte Carlo simulation approach, so I spent a few days coding up and analyzing a model with Claude Code.
August 12, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Not sure how many scientists here have tried Claude Code or similar command line coding assistants. I had a complicated family property tax problem that was best solved by a brute force Monte Carlo simulation approach, so I spent a few days coding up and analyzing a model with Claude Code.
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
‘Seek Funding’ Step Added To Scientific Method
‘Seek Funding’ Step Added To Scientific Method
PARIS—In an effort to modernize the principles and empirical procedures of examining phenomena and advancing humanity’s collective knowledge, the International Council for Science announced Thursday t...
theonion.com
August 5, 2025 at 3:15 PM
‘Seek Funding’ Step Added To Scientific Method
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
![4-panel comic. (1) [Person 1 with ponytail flanked by person with short hair and another person speaking into microphone at podium] PERSON 1: In the early 2010s, researchers found that many major scientific results couldn’t be reproduced. (2) PERSON 1: Over a decade into the replication crisis, we wanted to see if today’s studies have become more robust. (3) PERSON 1: Unfortunately, our replication analysis has found exactly the same problems that those 2010s researchers did. (4) [newspaper with image of speakers from previous panels] Headline: Replication Crisis Solved](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreibwuu57ullc7vacjyno6c5z3gtyakkg2qub6cn3dbbjdpn2kaowmi@jpeg)
July 21, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
When someone asks what parenting be like… 😂🤣
🐵 🥰
🐵 🥰
July 20, 2025 at 1:55 AM
When someone asks what parenting be like… 😂🤣
🐵 🥰
🐵 🥰
There’s something oddly satisfying about getting an abstract/paper/grant proposal within the word limit. These are all excellent tips! ✂️ ✂️ ✂️
Okay, when I get two requests in one day, it feels meaningful.
Reviving from Twitter...
"Are you struggling to shave words off of your writing?
I am weirdly good at this, so let me share some of my tricks. #AcademicSky #phdlife #gradstudent"
Reviving from Twitter...
"Are you struggling to shave words off of your writing?
I am weirdly good at this, so let me share some of my tricks. #AcademicSky #phdlife #gradstudent"
kermit the frog is typing on a typewriter in a messy room .
ALT: kermit the frog is typing on a typewriter in a messy room .
media.tenor.com
July 17, 2025 at 12:12 AM
There’s something oddly satisfying about getting an abstract/paper/grant proposal within the word limit. These are all excellent tips! ✂️ ✂️ ✂️
Another night of single myocyte electrophysiology and rock n’ roll ❤️ ⚡️ 🤘🏻 #basicscience #cardiovascularresearch #EPeeps
July 15, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Another night of single myocyte electrophysiology and rock n’ roll ❤️ ⚡️ 🤘🏻 #basicscience #cardiovascularresearch #EPeeps
Very important thread! Don’t be discouraged by the warning. Rants can be appropriate (like in this case)
A discussion of the use of animals in research.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSvk...
1/n
(Warning: Rant coming)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSvk...
1/n
(Warning: Rant coming)
Director’s Desk: The Future of Animal Models in Research | NIH’s Dr. Nicole Kleinstreuer
YouTube video by National Institutes of Health (NIH)
www.youtube.com
July 15, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Very important thread! Don’t be discouraged by the warning. Rants can be appropriate (like in this case)
This. I don’t even bother writing presenter notes anymore. Practice, practice, practice.
I’ve been to about 80 scientific conferences at a wide variety of venues
Sometimes you’re able to see your PowerPoint speaker notes. Sometimes you’re not.
But you almost never know in advance of arriving at the venue
So I strongly recommend to practice your talk enough that you don’t need it!
Sometimes you’re able to see your PowerPoint speaker notes. Sometimes you’re not.
But you almost never know in advance of arriving at the venue
So I strongly recommend to practice your talk enough that you don’t need it!
July 13, 2025 at 8:14 PM
This. I don’t even bother writing presenter notes anymore. Practice, practice, practice.
Reposted by Anna Pfenniger
As a fibroid survivor myself I relate so much to Venus Williams' story. It took me changing physicians twice to get my symptoms taken seriously, and I am a physician! Too many women suffer in silence, esp Black women. Be relentless in advocating for yourself.
www.today.com/health/women...
www.today.com/health/women...
EXCLUSIVE: Venus Williams Says Doctors Dismissed Her Fibroid Symptoms for Years: ‘I Was Outraged’
While Venus Williams knew she had fibroids, doctors never connected her debilitating symptoms with the condition and downplayed her concerns.
www.today.com
July 4, 2025 at 10:44 PM
As a fibroid survivor myself I relate so much to Venus Williams' story. It took me changing physicians twice to get my symptoms taken seriously, and I am a physician! Too many women suffer in silence, esp Black women. Be relentless in advocating for yourself.
www.today.com/health/women...
www.today.com/health/women...
Rediscovering the spirograph while entertaining a sick toddler (aka art director). I vetoed pink for the last one.
June 28, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Rediscovering the spirograph while entertaining a sick toddler (aka art director). I vetoed pink for the last one.