It is the day after Election Day in the United States, and perhaps many of you are feeling what we feel too: uncertainty. For our families, for our friends and neighbors, and for our futures. Amidst this uncertainty, let us recommit to you and the work ahead.
We are scientists, researchers, clinicians, leaders, and family members, and we are fearful of this uncertainty too. But even amidst this difficult time of not knowing, we can say with great certainty that we are committed to you and we stand with you.
We are here for this.
✔️ We are here for delivering the facts, because misinformation can drown out good information. We are committed to getting you the most accurate and scientific information first because we know that what you read first will frame any other information coming in. And we know that having confidence in the certainty of the knowledge can help decrease anxiety. We will continue to post regularly on misinformation thereby increasing the likelihood that the information you are taking in is solid, scientific evidence.
✔️ We are here for continuing to lift up and support the voices of women (as well as people who are non-gender conforming/other gender identities). We will especially highlight the voices of scientists to the highest levels of leadership and visibility by supporting them across all of our platforms and sharing their research and work as appropriate. Because we know that bringing forward our voices elevates our work, but we also want to bring you the greatest expertise and experience from across the spectrum.
✔️ We are here for expanding quality information to communities who have less access, because unequal access to information, prevention, and treatment harms not just some groups but all of us and directly impacts our nation’s health. We will also continue to expand our knowledge, understanding, and coverage of issues around health equity.
✔️ We are here for continued reflection. We will evaluate ourselves and make sure that we are best serving your needs for information, science, community, and support across all our platforms. If something is missing and is critical to our mission, we will take a hard look and make changes. This is not always easy, but if we are not fulfilling our mission and commitment to you, we recognize that we need to do things differently.
✔️ Lastly, we are committed to taking care of ourselves so that we can best serve you as we move forward into these last months of the year. We pledge to do more than just self-care; we will engage deeply with the science around taking care of ourselves, particularly those practices that help us. We have made available a way to quickly find our mental health posts.
The challenges continue to be great, and we are renewing our commitment to you. We care about each and every one of you. No matter what the days ahead bring us, we will be here for you.
Stay safe. Stay well. Stay Nerdy!
With Love,
Those Nerdy Girls
This post was updated from the original written by Nerdy Girl Alumna Dr. Aparna Kumar on November 4, 2020.
