All the posts from our Those Nerdy Girls Facebook page dating back to May 1st, 2020, are currently archived here and can be searched for by category, key words, etc. Be sure to check back often as additional posts are being added each day.
Riddle us this, Nerdies! What is crucial for the well-being of everyone but is all but invisible when it’s working effectively? Public Health, of course! It’s National Public Health Week, and Those Nerdy Girls would like to show our support to all our public health colleagues and raise up their voices and good deeds. We Read more…
We thought April Fools’ Day would be a good time to post one of our most popular and humorous posts, originally published on July 25, 2020. A: Great question — and we know there are lots of folks out there who have similar concerns about masks. Maybe you’ve wondered about how useful or safe masks Read more…
On April 1, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services issued broad Reduction in Force (RIF) notifications that wiped out entire divisions at federal health agencies, like the CDC. The author of this piece serves at one such agency and describes their experiences on that day. [NOTE: This is another in our series Nerdy Read more…
Jackie from Torrence, CA – What to do when a family member contracts C. Diff? I’ve read that the affected person can shed spores for months to years. How long do I need to bleach everything down? What procedures and products are recommended? C.diff (clostridium difficile) is tough to kill and it can spread in Read more…
Tl;dr: Negative bias is a type of cognitive bias where we tend to have a stronger response to negative stimuli and information than positive information of equal magnitude. We feel negative events more intensely and may dwell on them to our detriment. Negativity bias impacts how we consume the news, engage in relationships with other Read more…
If you have been exposed to a measles case, check your vaccination status and watch for symptoms, especially starting around a week later. Measles outbreaks are becoming more common in the U.S. (You can read Those Nerdy Girls’ latest update on measles here.) What should you do if there is a confirmed case near you? Read more…
Keep yourself as active as you can and clear your home of fall hazards. Even if you don’t notice an injury, falls can be an early warning sign for many health issues. Don’t delay asking for help when you need it! Roughly 1 in 4 adults over age 65 fall each year. About 800,000 people Read more…
Measles cases continue to rise – this is worrying. The good news is that there is a super effective vaccine that protects you and your loved ones. Note – we use data from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Brown University Pandemic Center’s weekly tracking report. While the CDC tracks Read more…
This post was written by Guest Contributor Dr. Nicole Loew. She has her PhD in nursing from the University of Iowa, and her research interests include understanding how women’s contexts impact their perspectives of sexual health and their sexual behavior. Political Determinants of Health: The Policies Behind Our Health When we talk about health, most Read more…
Six years ago, a group of nerdy scientists and clinicians started answering health and science questions for their friends and family — and somehow, it turned into this. The ultimate OG Nerdy Girl and Founder Malia Jones and our current Executive Director MK invite you to celebrate with us today! Six years ago, a group Read more…
What do you do when you get a bunch of Nerds together in real life? Of course, you create a video about the father of Epidemiology! Featuring Nerdy Girls Dr. Gabriella (@gabriellaexplains), Dr. Jenn Dowd, Dr. Irini Hadjisavva, Sandy Laping, and MK Haber. Video created by Nerdy Girl Dr. Gabriella @GabriellaExplains. Video edited by Nerdy Read more…
Any health decision or complex health question should always be discussed with a human clinician. However, AI chatbots can be helpful for answering some basic health questions, with some caveats. It seems like every industry nowadays wants a piece of the artificial intelligence (AI) pie. Healthcare has been no exception, with 2 out of 3 Read more…
Researchers have found that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines prime certain cancers to a cancer treatment known as immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapy! Within 100 days of starting immunotherapy, people with advanced cancer who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines survived nearly twice as long as those who did not receive the shot (approximately 37 months versus 21 months). Read more…
March 8th is International Women’s Day! Those Nerdy Girls are celebrating International Women’s Day – here are ways you can join in and #GiveToGain Since March 1911, International Women’s Day has been recognized as a global day of activism and celebration. It is a day for everyone committed to the advancement of gender equality to Read more…
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is an independent advisory panel of experts who make evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services. (This post was updated by Those Nerdy Girls from the original published on August 22, 2025.) In July 2025, the current Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) abruptly canceled a meeting Read more…
That urge to reach back out after conflict, distance, or even estrangement is hard to ignore. For some of us, reconnection can be deeply healing, while for others, it can reopen old wounds. We have hovered over someone’s name in our phone, replayed old conversations in our heads, or imagined what it would be like Read more…
The overall number of people who identify as transgender in the U.S. is estimated to have increased over the past ~10+ years, particularly among those aged 13-24 years. TL;DR: There has been an increase in the total number of people estimated to identify as transgender in the U.S. overall, especially among teens and young adults. Read more…
Nerdy Nexus – where science and health meet society Taking Care of Each Other: Resources and Information for Immigrants, Allies, and Neighbors Public health is full of interesting puzzles: How do we keep everyone safe while respecting personal choices? Civil rights ensure we *all* get a fair shot at being healthy—access to good healthcare, safe Read more…
Continued research is needed, but in the meantime, avoiding unproven and harmful therapies is the best medicine. For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), effective therapies for social/communication symptoms and medications to help co-occurring conditions (depression, anxiety, irritability) exist. Continued research is needed, but in the meantime, avoiding unproven and harmful therapies is the best Read more…
This year’s Black History Month theme—”A Century of Black History Commemorations”—reminds us to honor a full century of contributions while charting the path forward. For Black women in STEM, this century tells a story of groundbreaking achievement against extraordinary odds. These women include the NASA mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, whose calculations Read more…
