Spring officially has sprung. Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and the anti-vaxxers are getting restless. That's why we exist. So, here are some of the media mentions we received and other outreach we performed in recent weeks:
1) Dr. Alex Berezow, our Vice President of Scientific Affairs, teamed up with astrophysicist and Forbes writer Ethan Siegel to write a piece for Scientific American. They argue that opting out of vaccines should opt a person out of society because "[t]here is no moral difference between a drunk driver and a willfully unvaccinated person. Both are selfishly, recklessly and knowingly putting the lives of everyone they encounter at risk." Their op-ed created a lot of buzz, getting cited by Big Think, Futurism, BoingBoing, and Patheos.
2) Our former Director of Nutrition, Dr. Ruth Kava, was interviewed by John Stossel. There is a myth that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In fact, the myth has grown far beyond that, with some claiming that skipping breakfast will lead to heart attacks, strokes, and obesity. Nonsense, says Dr. Kava. "Don't get your nutrition education from cereal boxes," she warned. Indeed, cereal companies helped perpetuate the myth that breakfast is the most important meal because (surprise!) they want to sell cereal. Dr. Kava's parting advice: "Eat breakfast if you're hungry. If not, eat a little later."
3) Dr. Jamie Wells, our Director of Medicine, went to Capitol Hill to champion patients before profits. In Dr. Wells's words: "Physicians from across the political spectrum, from all over the country and representing nearly every specialty, came to Washington, DC earlier this week to advocate for and protect patients by shining a spotlight on the many hidden ways healthcare dollars are being wasted and abused."
4) Several of Dr. Berezow's articles were cited by various media outlets. His article on the homelessness and public health crisis in Seattle was cited by Roger Valdez in Forbes; his article on Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin's awful decision not to vaccinate his children against chickenpox was cited by Julie Gunlock for the Independent Women's Forum; and his article explaining the true nature of plastic pollution in the ocean (hint: it comes from Asia and Africa, not the United States) was cited by Epoch Times.
5) As always, Dr. Berezow continued his twice weekly radio segment, "Real Science with Dr. B," on the Kirby Wilbur Show in Seattle. His latest segment (beginning at 20:45) covered bad cancer advice and the amazing energy efficiency of human cells.
