I started YLE in March 2020 and have been writing in my spare time nonstop for 19 months. What started off as an email to faculty/students/staff, morphed into a Facebook page, which morphed into a newsletter.
This morning, out of pure curiosity, I pulled backend data to assess cumulative reach (isn’t that what everyone does on a Sunday morning without kids?).
YLE posts have reached more than 106 million people in 19 months.
These numbers not only blow me away (two words: stage fright), but have pushed me to reflect on this journey and brainstorm where this should go. Whatever “this” is.
While I have some ideas, I would love to get your opinion. But, before that, the first question I have for you is “who are you?”. I don’t know, on a population-level, who I’m talking to. And would love to understand my audience better.
So, I put together a short survey. It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to complete. It’s quick. It’s anonymous. And I would greatly appreciate your participation. You can reach the survey HERE.
Thank you for your ongoing support and for pushing and challenging me to become a better scientific communicator. It’s been (and continues to be) an honor of a lifetime to provide this service to my community. And I’m excited to explore where this could go.
Love, Katelyn (YLE)
Well katelyn you already helped me with a Medical Advisory Board tring to get a private school in South Carolina to require masks for their students. I emailed you and you helped tremendously. We did not get a mandate but we created an opt-out which required parents to read and sign that to not wear a mask was against medical advice. We had 90% of kids in masks (over the 80% threshold) so I feel we were successful. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! Now imagine a stadium that holds a million people for a rock concert. They are all cheering you the rock star epidemiologist from Texas. You are on the stage with over a million fans cheering you on. Congratulations.
Best Wishes,
Phillip B. Flexon MD FACS
P.S. A million is conservative. I go to meetings where screen shots of your Newsletter goes up all the time. Doctors use it all over the place. You are huge.
The survey gives me a "site cannot be reached" error. If you recall, I had suggested early on to consider two demographics, those with a science background, and members of the general public, assuming you could find the time. I don't know how you've managed not to pack your family in an RV and live off-grid in a remote hidden location for the remainder of your life. But I'm personally grateful for all your hard work and I would appreciate a platform to engage you (and maybe, perhaps your students) in mature discussion about your other epidemiological studies.