IG Julia Roberts

Motherhood is one of the most incredible experiences in life. With a 3-year old daughter and one in the oven, I can’t ignore the fact that Black maternal death rates are astronomically high in this country, a public health issue steeped in racism. Black women are 243% more likely to die during their pregnancy or birth compared to white women. Black infants are also 2x more likely to die by their first birthday. While the stats are scary, especially for a Black mother like myself, remember that race is not a risk factor for death. Our lived experiences in our bodies and chronic confrontations with racism leave us vulnerable to disparate outcomes from health inequities to a lack of access to care. Since racism is part and parcel of being black in America, many women suffer in silence, never revealing their stories of traumatic birth or frank mistreatment and disregard by medical personnel.
We all have a right to freedom from discrimination and bias while birthing our children. As a collective voice, we can demand that racism in healthcare be dismantled.
So where do we start?
1 - Let's work to dismantle racism within our family and social circles. This means calling out bigoted thinking and white privilege on the spot, reminding people that we as a country are evolving past this archaic and dangerous way of thinking.

2 - Acknowledge the truth. Racism permeates the deepest core of our society, and lives are lost because of it. #BlackLivesMatter too.

3 - Show up and listen with compassion. If you’re reading this, you have already started this step. Please continue to do so within your social circles.

4 - Follow and support causes that are doing this work. I’m posting a list of Black doctors to follow and organizations working in the reproductive justice space (see Stories). — @kahlanabarfield #ShareTheMicNow

Today, I am thrilled to #ShareTheMicNow with my friend @kahlanabarfield I have known Kahlana for over 10 years and she has always been a source of not only great wit and intellect but compassionate insight. She has some truly thoughtful and thought provoking views to share. I will be tuned in. Hope you will be listening too!
The time is now. ♥️ #iloveher

blackouttuesday

Holiday Weekend Plans: Stay Home, Watch Season 2 of Homecoming!!! #stayhome #weareinthistogether #walterstilllovesheidi☺️

@NIHgov & @NIAID are building on existing coronavirus research for a truly unparalleled timeline for starting clinical trials for treatments, diagnostic tests, and vaccine candidates. We have also produced findings on how long the virus lives on various surfaces; expanded access to coronavirus literature through PubMed; created a program to train #COVID19 workers to protect their own health; teamed up with FDA and the VA to accelerate the production of 3-D printed supplies for #COVID19; developed treatment guidelines with an expert panel; started a serology study to quantify undetected infections in the US; and so much more.
Some major research milestones I would like to highlight are shown in the images above. We started the first vaccine candidate trial on March 16. Among our treatment clinical trials, we found that remdesivir seems to help very sick, hospitalized people recover faster. We are planning a partnership with pharma companies, Federal partners, and academic experts called ACTIV: Accelerating #COVID19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines. One of the goals of ACTIV is to comb through therapeutic candidates to prioritize those with the most promise to enter a clinical trial, while working to standardize evaluation methods to speed FDA review. We still need more diagnostic tests to help us all return safely to public spaces. To that end, #NIH launched a #COVID19 initiative called Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics, or RADx, just a few weeks ago. Its goal is to be able to develop millions of diagnostic tests per week to help Americans return to their normal lives. RADx includes a competition calling on American ingenuity to develop accessible, safe, fast & effective tests. In one week, NIH received 1087 applicants. One component of RADx, called RADx-UP, focuses on implementation of strategies to enable testing of rural, underserved, and under-resourced populations - some of the hardest hit communities. While I could easily go on and on, suffice it to say that we are hard at work researching ways to combat this virus.
@NIHgov @NIAID #NIAID #COVID19 #Research #PassTheMic @ONE

Hi, Dr. Tony Fauci here. I’d like to start with some basics. The more we know about a virus, the better we are able to develop new treatments, tests, and vaccine candidates. These graphics talk about the structure and origins of the virus. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that derive their name from the fact that, when viewed by an electron microscope, each virion is surrounded by a “corona,” or halo. These spikes, with their crown-like appearance, allow the virus to gain entry to the human body. This current outbreak is from the SARS-CoV-2 strain in the coronavirus family. The infection in the human body is called #COVID19.
@NIHgov @NIAID #NIH #NIAID #COVID19 #Coronavirus #Origins #Structure #PassTheMic @ONE

It’s my honor and complete joy to #PassTheMic to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the @NIAID at @NIHgov. He’s probably one of the most important people in the world right now. If you don’t know him, he’s the man making sure we get the most accurate, critical information about #COVID19. Things like how we can keep ourselves and our communities safe. Today he’s taking over my account to shed light on the importance of a global response to this pandemic, the latest treatment research and the power of staying cautiously optimistic.
Make sure to check out my Stories for more of our conversation, and if you’re as inspired as I am, please take a minute to demand action from your local and global leaders at @ONE. #PassTheMic #oneworld #stayhome #weareinthistogether #Faucirocks #stickwithfacts #dontdrinkbleach #vote