Theresa Gaffney
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theresagaff.bsky.social
Theresa Gaffney
@theresagaff.bsky.social
1.1K followers 260 following 62 posts
reporter, newsletter writer, & Guild member at STAT
[email protected]
Signal: theresagaff.97

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theresagaff.bsky.social
Theresa Gaffney @theresagaff.bsky.social · Dec 23
I wrote about gender-affirming surgery — what it means to the people that get it, its evolution as a professional specialty in the U.S., and how the incoming administration could put all of that at risk: www.statnews.com/2024/12/23/g...
A 19-year-old patient wearing ripped jeans and loosely tied work boots sits in a chair in the doctor's office. One foot is propped up resting on his knee. He has a spiral notebook and mechanical pencil in his lap. An excerpt from the story: “'In the case of an emerging field like this, where there weren’t a lot of road maps on how to do things and there was so much room for improvement, you have somehow to have a lot of creativity,' she recalled. Trinidad was a small 'Santa Fe Trail' type of town, Bowers said, where she and Biber were the only surgeons of any kind for miles. The people stepping off the Greyhound bus were almost always alone, Bowers remembers. They were usually older, retired, single or divorced, and had lived much of their lives in the closet. After finally coming out as trans, they were often estranged from their families. Insurance wouldn’t cover the procedure, so they always paid in cash. Afterward, they left town without knowing whether any other doctor might understand the procedure enough to be able to address potential future complications. They prepared for the long recovery alone.
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
sarah-todd.bsky.social
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...
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
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
msjpauly.bsky.social
I’ve spent a lot of the last three years investigating the rise of anti-trans politics. Often, it came back to the controversy over trans women athletes.

So I teamed up with @pablo.show to look into the leading figure on the issue: Riley Gaines.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202... 1/
How right-wing superstar Riley Gaines built an anti-trans empire
The swimmer tied a trans woman for fifth. The MAGA industrial complex took care of the rest.
www.motherjones.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
msjpauly.bsky.social
Kudos to @theresagaff.bsky.social and Annalisa Merelli at @statnews.com for banging out this detailed analysis today: www.statnews.com/2025/11/19/h...
HHS names authors and releases peer-review comments for gender dysphoria report
The new report reveals that many of the authors and reviewers have been outspoken critics of gender-affirming care and belong to anti-LGBTQ+ groups
www.statnews.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
msjpauly.bsky.social
We finally know the identities of the 9 anonymous authors of the May HHS report on pediatric gender-affirming care. Surprise! It's stacked with people who make money advocating against pediatric gender-affirming care.

Here's our writeup from May: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
November 19, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
lisonjoseph.bsky.social
Offshift helps truckers build a healthy lifestyle to prevent or manage chronic disease. They can be effective, and yet digital health solutions like those often struggle with like low adoption and engagement, @katiepalmer.bsky.social reports:

www.statnews.com/2025/11/18/t... via @statnews.com
Many truck drivers don't live past 61. Could digital health help?
Many truck drivers don't live past 61. Could digital health help?
www.statnews.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:43 PM
theresagaff.bsky.social
New: On how every state with a gender-affirming care ban for minors has carved out an exception for procedures on intersex minors, including infants. “Such inconsistency is what can start undermining our faith in the system," one bioethicist told me. www.statnews.com/2025/11/14/i...
Advocates decry intersex exceptions in trans health bans
Restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors consistently allow exceptions for minors with intersex traits, a new study finds.
www.statnews.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:42 PM
theresagaff.bsky.social
NEW: The FDA is reversing a decades-old warning on hormone therapy products for menopause. It's a move that many physicians agree with, though they may not all support exactly how the agency has done it: www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/f...
FDA reverses decades-old warning on hormone therapy products for menopause
The FDA is reversing a 2003 decision that put a stringent warning on hormone therapy products for menopausal women, saying that the treatments offer heart, brain, and bone health benefits.
www.statnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
lexmcmenamin.com
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.

certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
November 3, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
statnews.com
George Tidmarsh, the Food and Drug Administration’s top regulator of drugs, has been placed on administrative leave after being accused of using his regulatory authority to inflict financial harm on a former business associate, STAT has learned.

www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/f...
FDA’s top drug regulator placed on leave amid investigation
George Tidmarsh, the FDA's top drug regulator, has been placed on leave after being accused of abusing his regulatory authority, STAT has learned.
www.statnews.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
lizzylawrence.bsky.social
EXCLUSIVE: A slow-boiling feud between Vinay Prasad and his staff at the FDA is threatening the future of the center that regulates the nation’s vaccines, biological products, and blood supply. Read more here:
www.statnews.com/2025/10/31/v...
Under Vinay Prasad, employees at a key FDA center fear speaking out, look for the exits
Exclusive: Vinay Prasad has rattled FDA staff by expanding his power and pushing out senior leaders.
www.statnews.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
rosebroderick.bsky.social
Goodbye, SAMHSA?

After the Trump administration's latest layoffs at the federal agency for mental health and addiction treatment, the agency is in shambles.

On the sacking of SAMHSA and what it means for the country's behavioral health, w/ @levfacher.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/s...
Trump cuts have decimated the federal addiction and mental health agency
The Trump administration has dismantled big chunks of the federal agency focused on mental health and addiction treatment, reducing its staff by more than half
www.statnews.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
aniloza.bsky.social
The NIH has insisted there are no banned words

But, an analysis by @jeremymberg.bsky.social found over 700 hundred grants changed their titles from '24 to '25

Some see it as a small price to pay to keep their grant, but others are worried about what comes next

www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
Scientists had to change more than 700 grant titles to receive NIH funding. Health disparities researchers fear what’s next
The titles of more than 700 multi-year NIH grants have been changed this year, according to an analysis by Jeremy Berg, a former agency official
www.statnews.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
alexhogan.bsky.social
We're (officially) launching STATus Report, a new video series from @statnews.com ! If you'd like to learn about "genericide," why Novo Nordisk sells the exact same drug under two trademarks, or see me do a "backside Fahrvergnügen" on rollerblades, check it out today's episode! youtu.be/XKjoo1aS2Bg
What do Ozempic and Rollerblades have in common?
YouTube video by STAT
youtu.be
October 29, 2025 at 3:01 PM
theresagaff.bsky.social
How did these nine companies win priority drug review vouchers? Lizzy has the answers: www.statnews.com/2025/10/24/h...
October 24, 2025 at 2:19 PM
theresagaff.bsky.social
During the #STATSummit today, AMA president Bobby Mukkamala defended the org’s restrained advocacy strategy with the Trump administration, while playing up the alignment between the admin and the AMA on issues like prior authorization. www.statnews.com/2025/10/16/a...
AMA president deflects criticism of organization’s restrained approach to the Trump administration
The American Medical Association president defended the physician group's restrained advocacy strategy toward the Trump administration
www.statnews.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:00 PM
theresagaff.bsky.social
“It’s not about putting on fancy outfits, it’s about being presentable … I know how much AMA fees are each year and I know they can afford that." Doctor Mike was fiery today at #STATSummit www.statnews.com/2025/10/15/d...
‘Doctor Mike,’ the popular YouTube creator, faults AMA communication strategies to counter misinformation
Mike Varshavski, a family physician and content creator who goes by Doctor Mike on YouTube, wishes the AMA would do more to counter misinformation.
www.statnews.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
elizabethcooney.bsky.social
“What it really means is it is impossible to rapidly disseminate public health science for action,” former editor-in-chief Charlotte Kent told @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2025/10/11/c...
Deep cuts made to CDC's flagship MMWR publication, a cornerstone of public health
CDC staff behind the agency’s flagship publication have been fired amid drastic cuts to the HHS promised by the White House due to the government shutdown, according to five people familiar with the s...
www.statnews.com
October 11, 2025 at 7:44 PM
theresagaff.bsky.social
Supreme Court arguments on conversion therapy mostly went as expected today. But it's worth pointing out how the very idea of medical consensus came under attack multiple times from ADF and DOJ lawyers, as well as some conservative justices. Read my recap: www.statnews.com/2025/10/07/c...
As Supreme Court weighs conversion therapy, conservative justices question medical authority
At the Supreme Court, a majority of justices seemed poised to rule against a Colorado law banning so-called conversion therapy.
www.statnews.com
October 7, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
katiepalmer.bsky.social
For 3 years, I've reported on 2 big telehealth trends: pharma partnerships and compounding. They've gone head-to-head as patients demand GLP-1s.

But they've been part of the same story for much longer. Here's how telehealth got hooked on drug-first thinking: www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/t...
From erectile dysfunction to weight loss, how telehealth got hooked on drug-first thinking
Marketing of on-demand telehealth prescriptions has rapidly become a constant presence for American consumers
www.statnews.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:03 PM
theresagaff.bsky.social
The Supreme Court hears arguments on a conversion therapy law tomorrow. "What you have is competing visions of how states regulate medicine and whether regulation of medicine should be solely evidence-based or not,” one expert said. More here on the potential impact: www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/s...
How this week’s Supreme Court case on conversion therapy could impact the regulation of medicine
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a challenge to a Colorado law banning mental health practitioners from performing conversion therapy
www.statnews.com
October 6, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
lizzylawrence.bsky.social
With last week's announcement on Tylenol, pregnancy & autism — & an FDA panel in July on SSRIs during pregnancy — I've been thinking about exclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials. Talked to some experts about how we got here, and what can change:
www.statnews.com/2025/10/02/c...
Fights over Tylenol, SSRIs highlight the enduring lack of pregnant women in drug trials
Shutting pregnant women out of clinical trials to protect them and their babies has had the opposite effect, experts say.
www.statnews.com
October 2, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
rosebroderick.bsky.social
Mothers regularly shoulder the "blame" for having a child with autism. So when autistic moms watched Trump insist — despite little scientific evidence — that Tylenol use during pregnancy causes autism, it felt like a return to a dark era. #disability #autism

www.statnews.com/2025/09/25/a...
Autistic moms feel shamed and stigmatized by Trump’s Tylenol warning
Trump's remarks linking Tylenol to autism are a return to an era when mothers were blamed for children developing the disorder.
www.statnews.com
September 25, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
statnews.com
Parents may flock to a dietary supplement with the same key ingredient as leucovorin, which the FDA just approved for children with autism. But there are drawbacks.
www.statnews.com/2025/09/23/l...
FDA’s leucovorin approval could be a boon for supplement makers
Parents may flock to a dietary supplement with the same key ingredient as leucovorin, which the FDA just approved for children with autism. But there are drawbacks.
www.statnews.com
September 23, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
hencarnell.bsky.social
Also check out this excellent q&a with Guyatt in STAT by @theresagaff.bsky.social
September 23, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by Theresa Gaffney
hencarnell.bsky.social
For years, medical professionals and transgender advocates have been saying the "Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine" was not following the principles of evidenced-based medicine.

Now the "godfather" of evidence-based medicine is leveraging the same claim against them. (1/)
Trans health care "skeptics" lost a key ally—now they're having a meltdown
The godfather of evidence-based medicine on rejecting anti-trans "misuse" of his work.
www.motherjones.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:11 PM