@ryanflinn
Healthcare comms consultant with a journalism background. Wine expert, competitive sabre fencer, life sciences enthusiast. Daily thinker of Bronze Age civilizations. Publish a weekly AI in healthcare news summary called AI Rx: https://ryanflinn.substack.co
Medicare is about to start using AI to review the necessity for certain treatments, with a goal of cutting costs and ineffective procedures. But it could also delay care for people in need. #CMS read more here: www.cms.gov/priorities/i...
So much has happened this year with AI in biopharma, from advancing drug discovery to improving clinical trial recruitment - I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to cover this topic for BiotechTV. Looking forward to continuing my coverage in 2026!
Do you like AI & robots? What about robots that act autonomously using AI? Medra is a SF company using these tools to bolster drug discovery - check out my BiotechTV interview with founder & CEO Michelle Lee about their $52m series A and what they're building: www.biotechtv.com/post/medra-m...
Really looks like the United States is about to launch a regime change war against Venezuela with:
-No casus belli
-No authorization from Congress
-No allies or international support
-No plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela
-No preparation for any sort of stabilization or containment of the fallout
Talked to some National Guard kids from West Virginia on the street near my office. They don't have leave to go home for Thanksgiving this week.
They can't see their families, because the president wants to use them as political props. No doubt, though, there'll be a feast at Mar-a-Lago Thursday.
"The Pentagon says that it is investigating... Mark Kelly of Arizona for possible breaches of military law after Kelly joined a handful of other lawmakers in a video that called for U.S. troops to refuse unlawful orders."
I didn't think the admission of guilt on their part would go that far
#Pinks
The UW Center for an Informed Public is looking for postdocs (for 2026-2028) from across diverse disciplines whose research sheds light on the challenges of our modern information environment, promotes civic health, and/or helps people/communities navigate online spaces: apply.interfolio.com/177901
I really wish more scientists & artists were on here. When I go to in-person gatherings it’s really clear what a small sliver of us are here.
And I get it, how many social media collapses do you have to weather before you just give up?
But organizing would be so much easier if we were all here 😭
With new cancer research being published every 30 seconds, it’s hard for clinicians to stay current. AI tools are trying to help. I recently wrote about this, breaking down five areas where AI tools are having success. Article link and explainer video below. www.ajmc.com/view/five-wa...
The healthcare industry is adopting AI at a rapid rate, and keeping up with all the developments is challenging. I wrote about the key tools clinicians and patients should be aware of, focusing on cancer care, for the American Journal of Managed Care's Evidence-Based Oncology: bit.ly/3JUsdbA
In my latest AI Rx (free) newsletter, I cover how AI is flagging preeclampsia at home; winning patients' trust; and blending digital twin hearts with printed cells to guide treatment decisions. Check it out! open.substack.com/pub/ryanflin...
I read Gilgamesh recently and there is ZERO question the Bible took inspiration from it when it came to Noah's Flood myth. Enkidu origin story also contains elements similar to Adam and Eve AND a snake plays the role of a trickster (sound familiar?).
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...
In the most predictable development ever, Mike Johnson is not committing to hold a House vote on ACA subsidies
Physicist here. We do know what magnets are and how they work. Nothing is mysterious about them. This is the most embarrassing display of ignorance about science I have ever seen. This man would fail third grade science. This interview is a disgrace to the president and to his country.
Interesting take for comms/marketing: AI chatbots love press releases - so for companies that want to get picked up in AI searches (Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO) publishing press releases is the way to go: www.marketingprofs.com/articles/202... via @notified-official.bsky.social
Healthcare is adopting AI faster than any other industry, and the leading use right now is hospital operations. I spoke with Menlo Ventures' Derek Xiao for BiotechTV on what's driving usage and where trends are heading for next year: bit.ly/4or8S0t
If you want to watch Nicole's webinar on how she was able to raise $4 million, you can find it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn4g...
"Weird," "Desperate" - that's what Nicole Paulk was told when she proposed raising funds for her biotech Siren Bio from the community. Then a million dollars came in the first month, and opinions changed. Read my article about her story: bit.ly/48YqbkS @wefunder.bsky.social
Kash fired the guy he thinks outed him for taking another private jet flight to see his girlfriend sing.
Can AI decode an infant's cry? Researchers built an LLM to do just that, and it was able to determine premies from full-term by analyzing acoustic data. This could help determine signs of real health or developmental issues. doi.org/10.1186/s128...
Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in: - Los Angeles - Phoenix - Philadelphia - Denver - El Paso - San Diego - Seattle/Portland - New Orleans Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both.
Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed. Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino. ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year.
I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations. I am hearing from both sides of this friction. One senior DHS official tells me: "ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?". Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me: "What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table."
It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there. Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results. Official statement to @FoxNews via @TriciaOhio : "While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country." 7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025 · 29.6K Views
🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.
Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.
This week in AI healthcare news: AI is interpreting infant cries; forming 'personal health avatars;' and decoding traditional Chinese medicine. I cover 10 news stories in my weekly AI Rx newsletter - check it out!
open.substack.com/pub/ryanflin...
This week I spoke with a former colleague of mine who's now the CEO of Weave Bio, which is using AI to address everyone's favorite topic, regulatory compliance! 😆 It's a huge time suck for biopharma, but a critical aspect - check out my interview on BiotechTV:
www.biotechtv.com/post/weave-b...
WaPo joins NYT, CNN, The Atlantic, Guardian and others, according to @ScottNover, in announcing it won't sign the Pentagon's controversial new press policy.
REPORTER: Do you support repealing Obamacare and what's your healthcare plan?
MIKE JOHNSON: We worked on repealing and replacing Obamacare back in 2017. I still have PTSD from the experience. We know that American healthcare needs dramatic reform. We have lots of ideas.
(So, no plan)
“Stock” buyback
When authoritarians tell you they like authoritarianism, over and over and over and over and over again, believe them
Imagine being CBS and paying 150M for a blog and then giving the boss of that blog the reins to CBS News and she starts reposting shit from her blog
What are the biggest make-or-break moments for biotech in the fourth quarter? I break down the clinical trial readouts, FDA decisions and scientific breakthroughs that could change patients' lives and offer new treatment options in my latest article for Cure: wewillcure.com/insights/cli...
Abbott egged on the Jade Helm conspiracists, who claimed that a military training operation was actually Obama invading the state of Texas.
Now a U.S. president is deploying Texas troops to other states to dominate and intimidate those states, and Abbott is complicit.
