The public thinks preparedness is waste, because success looks like inactivity. The fire truck polished in the station house is called civilization. The missile buried in a Midwestern silo is called deterrence. Yet a WHO lab sitting quiet, a CDC epidemiologist waiting for an outbreak, or stockpiled PPE, suddenly is “bureaucratic excess.” That is the idiocy of modern politics: we praise insurance in war, fire, and finance — but mock it in public health because the catastrophe did not happen this week. Pandemics are not prevented by improvisation. They are prevented by long stretches of expensive boredom interrupted by moments of terror. Cutting basic science and cutting preparedness means we will try to offload our problem on Kenya and volunteers at airports. That isn't a strategy, that is a bandaid for a gunshot wound

GIG EM @FRosenqvist

TMA Joins Lawsuit Against MultiPlan, Leading Insurance Providers Over Health Care Price-Fixing. TMA has joined a federal multidistrict litigation against MultiPlan (recently rebranded to Claritev) and major insurers alleging they conspired to systematically underpay health care practitioners for reimbursements for out-of-network services, which often fail to even cover operating costs. TMA joins the American Medical Association and hundreds of physician practices and facilities nationwide in this growing antitrust litigation. hubs.li/Q049XwF-0

The human body changes in space — every organ system, every mission. @TAMUmedicine is pioneering the aerospace medicine research and training that will protect astronauts on the journey to the Moon, Mars, and beyond: tx.ag/AeroMed

Aggie Docs and students coming to San Antonio Fall 2027!

It's👏not👏ethical👏to👏do👏placebo👏controlled👏study 👏when 👏there's 👏already 👏an 👏effective 👏vaccine

As I was walking around the concourse at the SEC Tourney, I saw Tyrel Dodson. Initially I was going to just keep walking so that I wouldn’t bother him, but he said Gig ‘Em to me presumably cause he saw my Aggie gear. So, I stopped to tell him how big of a fan I was and we ended up chatting for a little bit. He was truly the nicest NFL player I’ve ever met and shared with me that he would be getting his degree from A&M this May. I’m so excited for him to be having the success he is in the NFL and off of the field. He’s also a great representative of our university. Gig ‘em👍

🚨 I have been told that despite bragging about her Stanford medical degree, HHS is technically proposing to have Casey Means be the first non-physician to ever be confirmed as Surgeon General - because she can’t actually be commissioned as a physician in the PHS (as every SG before her has been) because she doesn’t have an active medical license. In other words, they acknowledge that their nominee for “America’s doctor,” can’t even join the uniformed service she would be charged with leading… as a doctor (they are proposing she join in the health service officer category- which doesn’t uniformly require an active medical license. Ironically even in this category, she wouldn’t even meet the criteria to be a physician’s assistant, because it also requires an active license)🤦🏽‍♂️ They are literally attempting to lower 100 years of merit and safety standards, so that she can take on the role. 👇🏽 A physician nominee for Surgeon General would need to meet the below Corps commissioning standards to be appointed and serve effectively in the role. While 42 U.S.C. § 205 doesn't explicitly require an active medical license for the SG position itself, the Surgeon General must be a member of the Regular Corps - and USPHS Commissioned Corps policy mandates that PHYSICIAN officers hold a current, unrestricted, and valid medical license from a U.S. state, D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Guam. This is required for commissioning, adhering to appointment standards, maintaining basic readiness, eligibility for special pay, promotion, and overall conditions of service. Official sources confirm this: USPHS Physician profession page: "Current, unrestricted, and valid medical license from any U.S. state..." (usphs.gov/professions/physic…) Commissioned Corps Licensure policy: Keeping licenses "active and unrestricted" is mandatory for officers whose qualifying degree requires it (dcp.psc.gov/CCMIS/Licensure_… & Inst 251.01) Bottom line: the current nominee for Nation’s top doctor… can’t legally be commissioned in the Corps she would be charged to lead, as a doctor! Past Surgeons General have been required to maintain active licenses to lead credibly as the nation's top public health physician. Lacking said licensure creates a practical (and legal) barrier to commissioning AS A PHYSICIAN and undermines the role's integrity and authority, and compromises the Corps itself. 😞

I’m a chemist. I need to say this - because it’s getting dangerous out there. The biggest health myth in the world isn’t about vaccines. Or GMOs. Or fluoride. It’s the root of all of them. It’s called chemophobia - and it’s killing science. Fear of “chemicals” now drives vaccine rejection, GMO bans, food hysteria, and entire political movements. From tampons to tap water, people have been taught to fear chemistry - the very thing that keeps us alive. Chemophobia tells us: “Natural is good.” “Synthetic is bad.” That’s a lie. Botulinum toxin is 100% natural and one of the deadliest molecules known. Aspirin is synthetic and life-saving. We’ve gone from banning harmful substances for good reason…to banning safe, well-tested molecules for emotional reasons. You’ve seen the slogans: “If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.” “Paraben-free.” “Clean beauty.” They sound empowering. But they’re not science - they’re marketing. And they’re making the world dumber, poorer, and sicker. Your body doesn’t care if a molecule comes from a plant or a lab. Vitamin C is vitamin C. Formaldehyde is formaldehyde and your body makes more of it every day than any vaccine ever could. Dose matters. Source doesn’t. This fear isn’t harmless. It shapes public policy. It blocks innovation. It raises food prices. It slows down cancer treatments. Chemophobia is now mainstream and it’s costing lives. Scientists aren’t losing because we’re wrong. We’re losing because fear spreads faster than facts. Because influencers sell fear for clicks. Because lawyers monetize doubt. And because scientists are too tired to fight back. So here’s my message, as a chemist and as a citizen: Learn how toxicology works. Call out chemical fear-mongering. Support policies based on evidence, not emotion. Chemistry isn’t the enemy. It’s the reason you have clean water, safe food, and modern medicine. If we let fear win, we lose all of it.

SUNY Upstate researchers analyzed over 30 million records and found that COVID-19 infection raised cardiovascular risks by at least 4 times, while vaccination cut those risks by up to 76% with no detectable heart toxicity. medrxiv.org/content/10.64898…

Sometimes vaccine efficacy is subtle Sometimes it isn't

Congrats to the National Champions Texas A&M Women’s Volleyball !!!!! #Gigem

THIS STILL APPLIES

Many people don’t know what it looks like for children to suffer from vaccine-preventable diseases such as meningitis, pertussis, and measles. These diseases are devastating and deadly. If vaccination rates continue to decline and these diseases surge again, our children will be at risk. contemporarypediatrics.com/v…

We’re looking forward to the future we’re building in Fort Worth.

This Halloween, look for purple, teal & blue pumpkins among the orange. These colors raise awareness for epilepsy, food allergies & autism, making Halloween safer for millions of children. 🎃 Experts share how you can help. ⤵️ tx.ag/ColorPumpkins

AGGIES ON TOP!!!

They're both Aggies! Gig 'em! Valentin Vacherot ousts Novak Djokovic in Shanghai to become lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 finalist tennis.com/news/articles/val…

RT @JeromeAdamsMD: ICYMI, President Trump got both his Flu and his updated Covid-19 (ie ‘booster) shots today- so clearly he believes them…

👍🏼For the first time in 149 years, the Texas A&M Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is led by a woman! 🎥 Here is our interview with Natalie Holder: tinyurl.com/3e4a93bz