Sarah Todd
@sarah-todd.bsky.social
Commercial determinants of health reporter @STAT, previously @qz
she/her
DM me on Signal: @sarahlizchar.47
newsletter: http://fororagainst.substack.com
she/her
DM me on Signal: @sarahlizchar.47
newsletter: http://fororagainst.substack.com
Reposted by Sarah Todd
STAT reporter @sarah-todd.bsky.social documents fallout in West Virginia from the Trump admin's cuts to Raze, a student-led anti-tobacco program.
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i...
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco.
www.statnews.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:01 PM
STAT reporter @sarah-todd.bsky.social documents fallout in West Virginia from the Trump admin's cuts to Raze, a student-led anti-tobacco program.
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
As someone who believes runaway capitalism is one of the main ills of our time, Christmas gift giving requires some uncomfortable mental gymnastics. But I've found a way to feel a bit better about it.
Let me make the case for a B Corp Christmas.
www.not-ship.com/the-hypocrit...
Let me make the case for a B Corp Christmas.
www.not-ship.com/the-hypocrit...
December 4, 2025 at 4:46 PM
As someone who believes runaway capitalism is one of the main ills of our time, Christmas gift giving requires some uncomfortable mental gymnastics. But I've found a way to feel a bit better about it.
Let me make the case for a B Corp Christmas.
www.not-ship.com/the-hypocrit...
Let me make the case for a B Corp Christmas.
www.not-ship.com/the-hypocrit...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
wrote about yapping (making small talk) for @statnews.com . why I love to do it, why I need to get better at it (in terms of talking about public health) and why everyone should make friendly conversation with a stranger.
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/p...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/p...
Can chatting with strangers improve public health?
Science and data are important, research shows, but people are incredibly receptive to personal stories about public health.
www.statnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:03 PM
wrote about yapping (making small talk) for @statnews.com . why I love to do it, why I need to get better at it (in terms of talking about public health) and why everyone should make friendly conversation with a stranger.
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/p...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/p...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
Powerful reporting on the impact of CDC cuts by @sarah-todd.bsky.social
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i... via @statnews.com
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i... via @statnews.com
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco.
www.statnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Powerful reporting on the impact of CDC cuts by @sarah-todd.bsky.social
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i... via @statnews.com
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i... via @statnews.com
West Virginia teens got caught in the fallout from the Trump admin's federal cuts this year when they lost funding for Raze, a student-led anti-tobacco program. I profiled H.S. senior Breanna Cutright: “Why does no one see how important this is?”
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i...
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco
What West Virginia teens lost when CDC cuts ended their fight against Big Tobacco.
www.statnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:28 PM
West Virginia teens got caught in the fallout from the Trump admin's federal cuts this year when they lost funding for Raze, a student-led anti-tobacco program. I profiled H.S. senior Breanna Cutright: “Why does no one see how important this is?”
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/i...
The new head of the FDA's drug center, Tracy Beth Høeg, is a vaccine skeptic who rose to prominence during Covid. Learn more about the implications of Høeg's new position of power via @lizzylawrence.bsky.social's timely profile of her from this spring:
www.statnews.com/2025/05/19/t...
www.statnews.com/2025/05/19/t...
Inside the rise of Tracy Beth Høeg, the Covid contrarian shaping FDA vaccine policy
Høeg has been skeptical of the safety and value of some vaccines and mandates, raising questions about her approach at the FDA.
www.statnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 12:42 AM
The new head of the FDA's drug center, Tracy Beth Høeg, is a vaccine skeptic who rose to prominence during Covid. Learn more about the implications of Høeg's new position of power via @lizzylawrence.bsky.social's timely profile of her from this spring:
www.statnews.com/2025/05/19/t...
www.statnews.com/2025/05/19/t...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
BREAKING: Tracy Beth Høeg will lead the FDA's drug center. W/ @ChelseaCirruzzo www.statnews.com/2025/12/03/t...
Tracy Beth Høeg, Makary aide who investigated Covid vaccines, to lead FDA drug center
Tracy Beth Høeg, a top lieutenant to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, will be the next leader of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
www.statnews.com
December 4, 2025 at 12:12 AM
BREAKING: Tracy Beth Høeg will lead the FDA's drug center. W/ @ChelseaCirruzzo www.statnews.com/2025/12/03/t...
We've all heard horror stories about the hiring process in journalism, from getting ghosted after multiple rounds of interviews to taking extensive, unpaid edit tests on tight turnarounds. Here's a theory that at least partially explains the problem:
thewritethrough.substack.com/p/why-journa...
thewritethrough.substack.com/p/why-journa...
Why journalism outlets are so bad at hiring
Transformer Editor Shakeel Hashim on how his publication is trying to do better by job applicants, and on where job applicants often go wrong
thewritethrough.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:24 PM
We've all heard horror stories about the hiring process in journalism, from getting ghosted after multiple rounds of interviews to taking extensive, unpaid edit tests on tight turnarounds. Here's a theory that at least partially explains the problem:
thewritethrough.substack.com/p/why-journa...
thewritethrough.substack.com/p/why-journa...
Marion Nestle talks corruption in food regulation, the risks we take when we eat raw food, and why she supports bringing back the food pyramid:
www.statnews.com/2025/12/02/m...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/02/m...
Marion Nestle still believes that 'calories count'
Nutrition expert Marion Nestle's latest book is a call to action for Americans to advocate for a better food system.
www.statnews.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Marion Nestle talks corruption in food regulation, the risks we take when we eat raw food, and why she supports bringing back the food pyramid:
www.statnews.com/2025/12/02/m...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/02/m...
If you live in NYC, you may have seen the Nucleus IVF subway ads promising to help you "have your best baby" by optimizing for traits like height and IQ. Responses so far include:
A) Eugenics?
B) Would this actually work?
Biologist Paul Knoepfler weighs in on both q's:
ipscell.com/2025/11/nucl...
A) Eugenics?
B) Would this actually work?
Biologist Paul Knoepfler weighs in on both q's:
ipscell.com/2025/11/nucl...
Nucleus Genomics faces criticism as it and other firms promise embryo optimization despite unresolved scientific, ethical questions - The Niche
Stem cell biologist discusses how elective IVF firm Nucleus Genomics faces serious accusations including of plagiarism.
ipscell.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:59 PM
If you live in NYC, you may have seen the Nucleus IVF subway ads promising to help you "have your best baby" by optimizing for traits like height and IQ. Responses so far include:
A) Eugenics?
B) Would this actually work?
Biologist Paul Knoepfler weighs in on both q's:
ipscell.com/2025/11/nucl...
A) Eugenics?
B) Would this actually work?
Biologist Paul Knoepfler weighs in on both q's:
ipscell.com/2025/11/nucl...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
What could possibly go wrong if you buy #botox on the internet & inject it at home yourself? PLENTY, it turns out. Three people from NY, WI & TX were hospitalized for 3-6 days. One required mechanical ventilation. Don't try this at home!
Reported in #CDC's #MMWR.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...
Reported in #CDC's #MMWR.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...
Notes from the Field: Severe Illnesses After ...
This report describes the public health response to three patients from different states who developed severe illness after self-injecting botulinum toxin.
www.cdc.gov
November 26, 2025 at 6:28 PM
What could possibly go wrong if you buy #botox on the internet & inject it at home yourself? PLENTY, it turns out. Three people from NY, WI & TX were hospitalized for 3-6 days. One required mechanical ventilation. Don't try this at home!
Reported in #CDC's #MMWR.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...
Reported in #CDC's #MMWR.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...
Men seeking testosterone therapy to treat symptoms like fatigue and low libido find that doctors don't take their problems seriously. That's sent them to flocking to online men's health clinics with minimal oversight, reports @missanabeem.bsky.social:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/o...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/o...
Why men are flocking to dubious online clinics for testosterone therapy
The proliferation of online testosterone sites is a sign of the health care system’s lack of regard for male sexual hormones and their role in health
www.statnews.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Men seeking testosterone therapy to treat symptoms like fatigue and low libido find that doctors don't take their problems seriously. That's sent them to flocking to online men's health clinics with minimal oversight, reports @missanabeem.bsky.social:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/o...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/o...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
Smoking marijuana can lead to markedly lower short-term alcohol use, according to a first-of-its-kind study. www.statnews.com/2025/11/19/c...
‘California sober’? Cannabis may help limit alcohol consumption, study shows
The first randomized controlled trial of the "California sober" approach suggests marijuana may indeed lessen alcohol consumption.
www.statnews.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Smoking marijuana can lead to markedly lower short-term alcohol use, according to a first-of-its-kind study. www.statnews.com/2025/11/19/c...
Talking about MAHA's push for saturated fat in dietary guidelines on Here & Now!
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
RFK Jr. wants Americans to eat more saturated fats. Why nutrition experts are concerned
Nutrition experts are warning that consuming more saturated fat could lead to higher rates of cardiovascular disease.
www.wbur.org
November 18, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Talking about MAHA's push for saturated fat in dietary guidelines on Here & Now!
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
A new profile of RFK Jr offers fresh insights into how he works, the bond he shares with Trump, & how he's moved HHS “from evidence-based decision-making to decision-based evidence-making." Story by @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social, @caseyross.bsky.social, & me:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/18/r...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/18/r...
How RFK Jr., America's celebrity health secretary, is steamrolling science
RFK Jr. is plowing ahead with sweeping changes to U.S. health care that have thrilled supporters, purged opponents, and horrified critics.
www.statnews.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:03 PM
A new profile of RFK Jr offers fresh insights into how he works, the bond he shares with Trump, & how he's moved HHS “from evidence-based decision-making to decision-based evidence-making." Story by @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social, @caseyross.bsky.social, & me:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/18/r...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/18/r...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
ICYMI: @sarah-todd.bsky.social has an excellent analysis of ByHeart's "bizarre" response to an infant botulism outbreak associated with its infant formula www.statnews.com/2025/11/14/b...
ByHeart’s ‘bizarre’ response to infant botulism outbreak worries food safety experts
ByHeart’s ‘bizarre’ response to infant botulism outbreak worries food safety experts.
www.statnews.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:52 PM
ICYMI: @sarah-todd.bsky.social has an excellent analysis of ByHeart's "bizarre" response to an infant botulism outbreak associated with its infant formula www.statnews.com/2025/11/14/b...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
Read the full story here, as Melina Mara and I go around Panama talking to frog and mosquito researchers as well as everyday Panamanians who have had malaria 4/5
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
First, the frogs died. Then people got sick.
An emerging area of research is uncovering hidden links between nature and human health.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Read the full story here, as Melina Mara and I go around Panama talking to frog and mosquito researchers as well as everyday Panamanians who have had malaria 4/5
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
Creatine-filled swag bags and an embrace from Vance: MAHA marks its ascendance in Trump’s Washington www.statnews.com/2025/11/12/m... via @statnews.com @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social @danielpayne.bsky.social
Creatine-filled swag bags and an embrace from Vance: MAHA marks its ascendance in Trump’s Washington
Creatine-filled swag bags and an embrace from Vance: MAHA marks its ascendance in Trump’s Washington.
www.statnews.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Creatine-filled swag bags and an embrace from Vance: MAHA marks its ascendance in Trump’s Washington www.statnews.com/2025/11/12/m... via @statnews.com @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social @danielpayne.bsky.social
On the ByHeart formula recall: “I have never seen a company so aggressively fight to deny the evidence against them," @cspinet.org's Sarah Sorscher said. Why food safety experts are alarmed by the company's response to the infant botulism outbreak:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/14/b...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/14/b...
ByHeart’s ‘bizarre’ response to infant botulism outbreak worries food safety experts
ByHeart’s ‘bizarre’ response to infant botulism outbreak worries food safety experts.
www.statnews.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:04 PM
On the ByHeart formula recall: “I have never seen a company so aggressively fight to deny the evidence against them," @cspinet.org's Sarah Sorscher said. Why food safety experts are alarmed by the company's response to the infant botulism outbreak:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/14/b...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/14/b...
Reposted by Sarah Todd
RFK Jr. has said he does not want to take vaccines away from Americans. But at a closed-door meeting of vaccine scientists in September, a top official at the FDA suggested doing just that. Here's how Vinay Prasad and Tracy Beth Høeg are reshaping vaccine regulation:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/12/f...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/12/f...
How two top FDA officials are quietly upending vaccine regulations
Vinay Prasad and Tracy Beth Høeg mix skepticism with new ways to define risk in pursuing sweeping changes to vaccine policy at the FDA.
www.statnews.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:42 PM
RFK Jr. has said he does not want to take vaccines away from Americans. But at a closed-door meeting of vaccine scientists in September, a top official at the FDA suggested doing just that. Here's how Vinay Prasad and Tracy Beth Høeg are reshaping vaccine regulation:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/12/f...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/12/f...
Former FDA food safety head Susan Mayne on about the ByHeart infant formula recall in the wake of an infant botulism outbreak. Babies had consumed ByHeart formula in 42% of 84 cases.
drsusanmayne.substack.com/p/byheart-bo...
drsusanmayne.substack.com/p/byheart-bo...
ByHeart, Botulism, and Powdered Infant Formula Safety
In the face of numerous questions about the ByHeart infant formula botulism outbreak, I wanted to share my perspective based on my prior experiences involving infant formula outbreaks and safety.
drsusanmayne.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Former FDA food safety head Susan Mayne on about the ByHeart infant formula recall in the wake of an infant botulism outbreak. Babies had consumed ByHeart formula in 42% of 84 cases.
drsusanmayne.substack.com/p/byheart-bo...
drsusanmayne.substack.com/p/byheart-bo...
The bill to end the government shutdown includes a provision to limit hemp products to 0.4 mg per container of total THC, added after lobbying by alcohol trade groups:
readsludge.com/2025/11/11/a...
readsludge.com/2025/11/11/a...
Alcohol Industry Groups Push to Ban THC Drinks in Government Funding Bill
A ban on hemp-derived products with THC was added to the bill reopening the government, pitting Sen. Mitch McConnell against fellow Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a hemp industry supporter.
readsludge.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:44 PM
The bill to end the government shutdown includes a provision to limit hemp products to 0.4 mg per container of total THC, added after lobbying by alcohol trade groups:
readsludge.com/2025/11/11/a...
readsludge.com/2025/11/11/a...
The UK is phasing out animal testing in research: “Nobody in our country of animal lovers wants to see suffering"
www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/u...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/u...
U.K. releases plan to phase out animal testing in research
The U.K. has released its plan to phase out animal testing in research, as a number of countries move toward reducing the use of animals.
www.statnews.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:08 PM
The UK is phasing out animal testing in research: “Nobody in our country of animal lovers wants to see suffering"
www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/u...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/u...
Lindsey Stanberry, founder of Money Diaries and now The Purse, on the politics of sharing our personal finances, why people get so judgmental about others' spending habits, and going from big media companies to indie newsletter life:
thewritethrough.substack.com/p/i-dont-get...
thewritethrough.substack.com/p/i-dont-get...
"I don’t get Sunday scaries anymore": Lindsey Stanberry on life after Money Diaries and going indie
"It’s political for women to talk about their finances."
thewritethrough.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Lindsey Stanberry, founder of Money Diaries and now The Purse, on the politics of sharing our personal finances, why people get so judgmental about others' spending habits, and going from big media companies to indie newsletter life:
thewritethrough.substack.com/p/i-dont-get...
thewritethrough.substack.com/p/i-dont-get...
Early success can be a curse, as this Sharon Begley obit shows. The man who co-discovered the DNA double helix structure at 25 bought into his own genius to the extent that he clung to racist beliefs despite the cost to his career. Best thing you'll read today:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Early success can be a curse, as this Sharon Begley obit shows. The man who co-discovered the DNA double helix structure at 25 bought into his own genius to the extent that he clung to racist beliefs despite the cost to his career. Best thing you'll read today:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...