Matthew J. Weidman, M.D.

02/24/2026

02/19/2026

02/18/2026

First Measles Case of 2026 Identified in Metro East Area
Details can be found here: https://loom.ly/M-hV7J0
More information Measles can be found on the IDPH website at: https://loom.ly/QhNt51w

02/13/2026

Pediatricians across the country are seeing firsthand how aggressive immigration enforcement tactics impact child health. The fear of a loved one being detained or witnessing violent confrontations in their communities causes increased anxiety, learning difficulties and even loss of sleep and appetite in kids. Pediatricians also understand the harms of detention on child health and well-being.

In a recent op-ed for USA Today, AAP leaders speak out on how these immigration enforcement and detention actions impact children. Read the full op-ed:
https://bit.ly/4aFFsay

02/10/2026

While health influencers increasingly promote raw milk for potential gut health benefits, the data tell an entirely different story. 🥛

Unpasteurized milk was linked to 22 times more outbreaks than pasteurized milk (202 vs. 9) during the same period, despite being consumed by only 2% of the population compared to around 70% who drink pasteurized milk.

This is not a coincidence. It's a public health problem.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/foodborne-illness-outbreaks-linked-to-unpasteurised-milk-and-relationship-to-changes-in-state-laws-united-states-19982018/4822109E69DDAB37E92CAAB41AB1CC0F

02/10/2026

A Department of Health & Human Services–sponsored Super Bowl ad used unframed su***de ideation, weight-shaming language, and moralized food rhetoric then HHS Secretary RFK Jr’s official government X account amplified it with an AI-generated image and a vague slogan.

This isn’t just “edgy” messaging. It’s a failure of public-health ethics.

Decades of research show that shame worsens health outcomes, weight stigma increases cardiometabolic risk, and trauma-based messaging does not lead to sustainable behavior change. Public health is supposed to reduce harm, not reinforce it.

Celebrity anecdotes are not policy. Slogans are not guidance, and synthetic imagery from official accounts blurs trust at a moment when clarity matters most.

If we want people to eat better, live longer, and trust health institutions, we start with evidence, nuance, and compassion, not fear and spectacle.

02/06/2026

01/28/2026

In partnership with the Pattee Foundation, Jamieson Community Center has launched their next project, purchasing older vacant homes in the City of

01/27/2026

Pediatricians have the sacred role to speak out for our patients when politics threaten their health and future. Don’t mistake our kind, playful nature for being pushovers. We have and will fiercely defend the health of children no matter who threatens it.

01/18/2026

Dealing with a cancer diagnosis is overwhelming. Please consider helping this family.

My sister Emmy and her family received the news that no parent ever wants… Becky Richards needs your support for Support Everett’s Fight Against Ewing Sarcoma

01/03/2026

Unfortunately this absolutely “makes sense.” The past few flu seasons, over 200 children have died each year due to complications from influenza. Half of those kids had no underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk. Most of them, like this girl, weren’t immunized.

Healthy 16-year-old girl dies from flu complications: ‘It doesn’t make sense’