Posts by Sarah Whitley Coles, MD

Should I get hepatitis C screening? January 6, 2026

What’s the Hawthorne Effect? November 12, 2025

What is availability bias? November 10, 2025

Q: What are sensitivity and specificity, and why should I care? October 27, 2025

Busting Flu Shot Myths! September 13, 2025

What is an empathy gap, and why does it matter? September 9, 2025

Should I get the flu shot this year? August 29, 2025

What is the USPSTF and why does it matter? August 22, 2025

Why do we give newborn babies the Hepatitis B vaccine? August 8, 2025

How can I keep kids safe around water? June 16, 2025

What is the ACIP and why does it matter? June 11, 2025

I’m stressing out about gaining weight. What can I do? June 2, 2025

What is Belief Perseverance, and how do I avoid it? May 13, 2025

What is an ad hominem attack? April 21, 2025

What is Commitment Bias? April 7, 2025

What is prebunking? March 31, 2025

What is the Dunning-Kruger effect? March 17, 2025

What is an infodemic? March 14, 2025

It’s our Nerdyversary! Five years strong! March 10, 2025

What is the ACIP and why does it matter? March 7, 2025

What is the framing effect? March 3, 2025

What is decision fatigue? January 3, 2025

What is overdiagnosis in cancer screening and why does it matter? December 14, 2024

Q: Should I get the flu shot this year? September 4, 2024

Nerdy Girls Live 06/17/24 – The Ins and Outs of Cancer Screening June 17, 2024

How can I keep kids safe around water? June 7, 2024

What are heuristics and why does this matter? May 23, 2024

What are sensitivity and specificity and why should I care? April 9, 2024

Nerdy Girl Sarah Coles reflects on her 1st COVID vax and TNG’s 4th Nerdyversary. March 20, 2024

What is negativity bias? February 29, 2024

What is an ad hominem attack? January 25, 2024

Meet Those Nerdy Girls! Sarah Whitley Coles, MD December 13, 2023

The number of babies born with syphilis has risen dramatically over the last 10 years. What’s going on? November 15, 2023

What is the Bandwagon Effect? November 10, 2023

Does getting a COVID vaccine in pregnancy help protect the newborn? October 12, 2023

Can I get the COVID vaccine at the same time as another vaccine? September 15, 2023

What is Commitment Bias? August 16, 2023

What is the Hawthorne effect? August 10, 2023

What is the Dunning-Kruger effect? July 12, 2023

What is decision fatigue? June 8, 2023

What is the framing effect? May 25, 2023

What is availability bias? May 18, 2023

What are the Horn and Halo Effects? May 10, 2023

There was an increase in Group A Strep infections this year. Any updates? April 27, 2023

Can my kids get the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as other childhood vaccines? March 9, 2023

Bad news! Evusheld is no longer recommended to prevent COVID-19. February 23, 2023

Any update on Mpox? February 15, 2023

Can I get the COVID-19 or flu vaccine if I am sick? February 2, 2023

What’s going on with strep infections? January 12, 2023

Weight loss is my New Year’s Resolution. What can I do? January 5, 2023

Does the bivalent COVID-19 booster provide better protection against COVID-19? December 28, 2022

There are NO monoclonal antibodies currently authorized to treat COVID-19. December 15, 2022

Help! There is a shortage of fever medicines for kids. How do I take care of my child with fever? December 8, 2022

Does the bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine help protect against getting sick from COVID-19? December 2, 2022

Does Evusheld protect against the new COVID-19 subvariants? November 19, 2022

Does Paxlovid reduce the risk of Long Covid? November 9, 2022

What is prebunking? October 27, 2022

Is the nasal spray flu vaccine as good as the flu shot? October 13, 2022

Don’t cook chicken in Nyquil. Full stop. It’s gross and dangerous. October 4, 2022

Busting Flu Shot Myths! September 29, 2022

Are COVID booster shots safe for kids? September 1, 2022

How do the monkeypox vaccines work? August 25, 2022

If I got the smallpox vaccine as a kid, am I protected against monkeypox? August 18, 2022

Happy National Immunization Awareness Month! August 4, 2022

Vaccination rates are on the decline. We need to do better. July 26, 2022

Just the Facts: Emergency Contraception July 14, 2022

Busting Vasectomy Myths! July 7, 2022

Meet Novavax, Which May Be the US’ Next Authorized COVID Vaccine June 22, 2022

Evaluating Medical Literature: Patient Oriented Evidence vs. Disease Oriented Evidence June 7, 2022

What should I do if I can’t find any baby formula? May 23, 2022

COVID Treatment Round Up! May 19, 2022

What is sensitivity and specificity, and why should I care? May 12, 2022

Kids’ vaccination rates decreased during the height of the pandemic and have not yet caught up. April 26, 2022

How do I talk to kids about vaccines? April 21, 2022

Does COVID-19 infection increase my risk of diabetes? April 14, 2022

Heard of that new pill to treat COVID-19? Here is what you need to know! April 8, 2022

What do you know about that COVID-19 treatment Molnupiravir? March 25, 2022

Should I get a booster shot if I’ve already had COVID-19? March 15, 2022

What is going on with the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine for 5-11 year old kids? March 3, 2022

What is brain fog in Long COVID and what can I do about it? February 24, 2022

My kid had COVID-19. When can they return to sports? February 10, 2022

If more than one person in a household tests positive for COVID-19, do the positive people need to isolate from each other? January 25, 2022

It’s just a sore throat. It’s not COVID, right? January 20, 2022

What does it really mean when we talk about “mild” COVID-19 infections? January 13, 2022

What does it mean when hospitals are talking about “Crisis Standards of Care?” January 6, 2022

News Alert! The CDC now recommends mRNA vaccines over the Janssen (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine. December 23, 2021

How long do I need to wait after getting COVID-19 to get my first vaccine series or my booster? December 9, 2021

Can I get the COVID-19 vaccine if I am sick? December 2, 2021

☹️ Influenza season is here! ☹️ November 18, 2021

Can kids get “Long Covid?” November 10, 2021

The CDC recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for kids age 5-11! November 3, 2021

How do I help prepare my child for the COVID-19 vaccine? October 27, 2021

I heard that doctors and hospitals are falsely claiming that both admissions and deaths are due to COVID-19 to make more money. Is that true? October 21, 2021

I want to help my friends overcome vaccine hesitancy. How do I give a strong vaccine recommendation? October 14, 2021

Can pregnant people get the COVID-19 vaccine? October 7, 2021

How are possible side effects from COVID-19 vaccines evaluated and tracked? September 30, 2021

What’s up with monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 infections? September 9, 2021

Should I get the flu shot? September 2, 2021

Does Ivermectin help treat or prevent COVID-19? August 19, 2021

What is psychological PPE (personal protective equipment)? August 12, 2021

Does the COVID-19 vaccine cause Guillain-Barré syndrome? August 5, 2021

What is the difference between absolute risk and relative risk and why on Earth should I care? July 29, 2021

Do monoclonal antibody treatments help for COVID-19 infection, and where do I get them? July 21, 2021

Is the HPV vaccine safe? July 14, 2021

How can I keep kids safe around water? July 10, 2021

Well, nuts. I got COVID-19. What can I do to take care of myself? July 3, 2021

Do I have the right to know if the health care workers taking care of me got the COVID-19 vaccine?” June 23, 2021

Do COVID-19 vaccines lower sperm counts? June 19, 2021

Are hospitalizations for COVID-19 becoming more common in adolescents? June 9, 2021

Is it a HIPAA violation for someone to ask me if I got the Covid-19 vaccine? June 4, 2021

I’m stressing out about gaining weight. What can I do? May 27, 2021

Can I get the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as another vaccine? May 19, 2021

CDC recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents age 12-15! May 13, 2021

Does the COVID-19 vaccine cause shingles? May 8, 2021

How do I talk to kids about vaccines? April 22, 2021

Is the COVID-19 vaccine messing with my period? April 20, 2021

What is up with vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) and those weird blood clots? April 18, 2021

Can I get the COVID-19 vaccine if I am fasting for Ramadan? April 13, 2021

What are the current trends in MIS-C? April 8, 2021

What do we know about treatment for people with COVID-19 infections who need to be hospitalized? April 1, 2021

What works for the treatment of COVID-19 infection for people who are not in the hospital? March 24, 2021

Any update on safety of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in pregnancy? March 18, 2021

How long do I need between my flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccination? March 4, 2021

We now have a third, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. March 1, 2021

How should I prepare for my COVID-19 shot? February 25, 2021

What’s up with varying vaccine side effects? February 11, 2021

Where the heck is the flu? February 4, 2021

Does the COVID19 vaccine cause anaphylaxis? January 28, 2021

Can kids get “long COVID?” January 21, 2021

I already had COVID19 and have questions about getting the COVID19 vaccine. Help! January 14, 2021

What does it mean when hospitals are talking about starting “Crisis Standards of Care?” January 5, 2021

Do the COVID19 vaccines cause Bell’s palsy? December 29, 2020

Why I got the vaccine – Dr. Sarah Coles December 22, 2020

Vaccination against Covid19 is starting! How will the vaccine be monitored for safety? December 14, 2020

The FDA is meeting TODAY about the Pfizer Covid19 vaccine. How does a vaccine get from the lab to my doctor’s office? December 10, 2020

Is Bamlanivimab effective in the treatment of COVID-19? November 30, 2020

Well, here it is. I got COVID19. What can I do to take care of myself? November 27, 2020

I’m gaining weight during the pandemic and it’s really upsetting me. What can I do? November 12, 2020

What is psychological PPE (personal protective equipment)? November 5, 2020

I heard somewhere that doctors and hospitals are falsely claiming deaths are due to COVID-19 and incorrectly increasing the case counts. Is that true? October 26, 2020

Help! I have Maskne! October 22, 2020

When can grandma and grandpa meet the new baby? October 15, 2020

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers? What can I do to help? October 8, 2020

I’ve heard a lot of stuff about flu shots. What’s true? October 1, 2020

A ton of people are wearing gloves to the store. Should I be wearing gloves too? September 25, 2020