Important, Not Important Important, Not Important

How do we take a huge chronic disease burden like Lyme disease or long COVID or even long flu and make it so personal that we simply can't ignore it anymore?
That's today's big question and my guest is Dr. Mikki Tal, an immunoengineer and a principal scientist at MIT.
Dr. Tal leads the Tal Research Group within the Department of Biological Engineering, and also serves as the Associate Scientific Director of the Center for Gynepathology Research. Mikki is working to identify the connections between infections and chronic diseases.
I've written a bit recently about the lessons we finally need to learn about post viral and bacterial health issues, the societal and medicinal and health and economic issues and improving our baseline of wellness and community health, so that we don't suffer from those quite as much.
These things are very real, we've known about them for a very long time and the compounding effects of chronic diseases are just going to continue add up the longer we ignore them, and we gaslight people.
There has never really been a better time for Mikki's work, or for this wonderfully inspiring and personal conversation.
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Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com
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INI Book Club:
Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club
Links:
Participate in the MAESTRO StudyExplore more of Dr. Tal's research (including recent papers here and here)Keep up with Dr. Tal's work on X and LinkedinRead more about Dr. Tal's work here and here
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This week: This week I wrote about a groundbreaking and essential new study that — thank christ — is not actually about which seemingly reasonable dietary supplement will definitely extend/tragically cut short your life.
It’s about 🍿 film, and after you’re done reading, I’d love it if you replied to this email with some favorite movies that moved the needle for you in some way. We’ll share the list with everyone soon.
Here's What You Can Do:Donate to Eco-Anxious Stories to help create stories about meaning, mental health, and climate change.🌍️ Volunteer to share your climate solutions story with the Global Solutions Diary from Project Drawdown.🌎️ Get educated about how to integrate climate change into your writing in an authentic way by booking a consultation with Good Energy.Be heard about the climate crisis and urge Congress to act.Invest in a climate-positive future using a...

This week: In this essay, I will argue that Bridget Jones is the perfect climate-era hero, because she is all of us.
Here's What You Can Do:🌍️ Donate to Project HOPE to support frontline teams working to strengthen healthcare systems and respond to crises globally.🌎️ Volunteer to share your climate solutions work with the Global Solutions Diary from Project Drawdown and use your story to inspire hope in the climate community.Get educated about how you can join a network of people working on climate, and get started on working on solutions, in your city with Climate Tech Cities.Be heard about feeding hungry kids and urge your representatives to support the Universal School Meal Program Act.Invest in a climate-friendly 401(k) using a...

Who is still covering Long COVID, and how much is the audience actually growing?
That's today's big question, and my guests are Betsy Ladygetz and Miles Griffis, editors and co-founders of The Sick Times, a journalist-founded website chronicling the Long COVID crisis.
The Sick Times investigates injustices, challenges powerful institutions, wades through the latest research, assesses COVID-19 data, and offers an essential platform for those most affected by the crisis.
Betsy is an independent science, health, and data journalist and writer focused on COVID-19 and the future of public health in general. Prior to The Sick Times, she ran the COVID-19 Data Dispatch. She was recently a journalism fellow at MuckRock, where she contributed to award-winning and impactful COVID-19 investigations, such as the Uncounted Project, investigations into the National Institute of Health's Recover Program, and stories covering public health responses in several states.
Miles is an independent journalist and writer who covers Long COVID, science, and LGBTQ plus issues. He developed Long COVID at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has used his lived experience to report on the disease.
So many people are struggling directly or indirectly with Long COVID.
Sometimes they don't even know themselves, but with journalism just crumbling around us, new publications like The Sick Times operated by people with very particular essential skills and lived experiences can help make sure that these massive all all-encompassing issues of our lifetimes stay in the news, giving everyone else a way to stay in touch, and of course, to act.
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Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com
New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.
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INI Book Club:
The Hammer: Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor by Hamilton NolanLet the Record Show: A Political History of ACT Up New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah SchulmanFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club
Links:
Subscribe and donate to The Sick TimesFind a Mask Bloc near youSupport the COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy ProjectSupport the Patient-Led Research CollaborativeSupport the Long Covid Action ProjectLearn about diseases related to Long Covid and support a href="https://www.meaction.net/"...

This week: Let’s talk about the Information Era.
Here's What You Can Do:Donate (and subscribe!) to the 19th, an independent, non-profit, kick-ass newsroom reporting on gender and politics.Volunteer with Tech Shift to build a fairer, more just technological future.🌏️ Get educated about the powerful institutions using technology to change society through the invaluable reporting by The Markup.Be heard about keeping companies accountable to assessing AI for bias and effectiveness and ask your representatives to support the Algorithmic Accountability Act.Invest in climate tech solutions that will accelerate the transition to a clean economy with a href="https://flight.beehiiv.net/v2/clicks/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5mdWxsY3ljbGUuY29tLz91dG1fc291cmNlPWltcG9ydGFudG5vdGltcG9ydGFudC5jb20mdXRtX21lZGl1bT1yZWZlcnJhbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249cHJvZ3JhbS10aGUtd29ybGQiLCJwb3N0X2lkIjoiYmZmM2RjYjQtZjM0Zi00ZmQwLWFiMzUtMTliZTg4ODIxNmFhIiwicHVibGljYXRpb25faWQiOiJhNzg0Yzc1Zi1mYTg3LTRjZDItODllMS02MTA2NzU2MGIxOWMiLCJ2aXNpdF90b2tlbiI6IjRmNjkwZDZkLTNlNGEtNDE3Ni1hZWFkLWYwNDk5OWM5YTgyMCIsImlhdCI6MTcxMjY5MzE5NCwiaXNzIjoib3JjaGlkIn0.y_bJgxm5JMFaRgv7wVIMA03swM1zgUGf07vDLzB6HsI" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

What have we learned from millennia of water insecurity, of climate changes and disasters, of building along freshwater ways and the ocean, that we can apply today?
That's today's big question, and my guest is Dr. Amber Wutich.
Dr. Wutich is an ASU President's Professor, Director of the Center for Global Health, and 2023 MacArthur Fellow.
She's an expert on water insecurity, and directs the Global Ethnohydrology Study, a cross cultural study of water knowledge and management in over 20 countries.
Dr. Wutich’s two decades of community based field work explore how people respond individually and collectively to extremely water scarce conditions. She leads the NSF Action for Water Equity, a participatory convergence study that develops collaborative water solutions with water insecure U.S. communities. Her teaching has been recognized with many awards, including the Carnegie Case Arizona Professor of the Year.
As maybe the most important thing that neither you or I can live without, water is both becoming more scarce in Central America, Northern India, Syria and other places, and more prevalent through sea level rise, flooding and storms where we're not ready for it.
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Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com
New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.
-----------
INI Book Club:
Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club
Links:
Connect with Amber on LinkedIn, Twitter, and BlueSkyDonate or volunteer with Water For PeopleDonate to Dig DeepLearn more about Amber's work with NSF-funded Household Water Insecurity Experiences Research Coordination NetworkLearn more about the National Science Foundation
Follow us:
Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our a...