Posted without comment... www.usajobs.gov/job/860190200

The data is in: the NIH goalposts have shifted. What were once almost certain fundable scores have become coin flips and what used to be likely grants have become aspirational, leading to fewer awards. Another manifestation of how HHS policies have led to fewer awards and less science.

This is why simply passing a budget that isn't a 37% cut is not sufficient. This is why "the extent to which funding was restored" cannot be the measure of success. www.sciencefriday.com/segments/slo...

As NIH moves to parent NOFOs another resource for finding out what topics are of interest. grants.nih.gov/funding/find...

These NOFO delays have created so many gaps in longstanding programs, including programs that are congressionally mandated. www.science.org/content/arti...

Many in the government go above and beyond the call of duty, but OPM wants to limit the number of people labeled as top performers. To be clear, federal employees EARN their ratings. Setting arbitrary limits is another blow to hardworking employees. www.govexec.com/workforce/20...

NIH is “…the largest government-funded biomedical research agency in the world, and until recently was the envy of scientists across the globe. The president’s attacks on this legacy have been relentless and all-encompassing…” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/o...

Something quite wrong with the Director of NIH encouraging us to “be like” a violent rapist, while the administration refuses to hold accountable the people who enabled and participated in Epstein’s sex crimes.

Check this out straight from the NIH website, acknowledging that multiyear funding was likely responsible for a 20% decrease in early stage investigators. And that it was expected. A strange approach for someone so committed to the next generation of scientists. grants.nih.gov/news-events/...

If you were wrongfully terminated during the probationary federal employee Valentine's firings, please fill out this survey. You need not be an #NIH member.

Today’s mood

Interested in engaging people with lived experience of chronic pain? Check out this upcoming Webinar by the USASP PWLE committee. See flyer for details. Monday February 23rd, 2026 from 1-2PM EST Registration link: usasp.memberclicks.net/pwleengagewe...

Unexpected perk of my job: learning about applicant/pi pregnancies before anyone else 😂 yes i will note that extension and process your supplement request!

Harm reduction services, including syringe service and fentanyl testing programs, are proven to save lives. As a federal court recognized, people with substance use disorder have a right to these services under disability law.

One day I shall learn to put thoughts to paper better... but for now. elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-nih-s...

The chief of NIAMS, Lindsey Criswell, has told her staff that her 5-year leadership appointment had not been renewed, meaning 16 out of 27 NIH institutes and centers will be operating without a permanent director. https://scim.ag/4cr5wHI

NIH has lost another Institute Director today. Linsey Criswell was not renewed at NIAMS. 15 (of 27) Directorships are now unfilled, creating a leadership vacuum and opening the door for Trump to install more cronies like former JD Vance roommate Kyle Walsh. insidehealthpolicy.com/share/153675

Republicans are still trying to pass the SAVE Act—a bill that would make it harder to vote and disenfranchise millions of Americans. Join @redistrictingaction.org and tell your member of Congress to vote no: act.redistrictingaction.org/a/natl-saveact-cte

As we approach the 1st anniversary of the Valentine’s Day massacre, please keep your Fed friends in your thoughts. Give them your support. Stand up for them, and all the others being impacted by this regime from Minneapolis to Venezuela. The hits keep coming at us. www.cnn.com/2025/02/14/p...

Me reading your progress reports like its the hottest gossip. Give me all the tea.

Almost a year ago @joshtpm.bsky.social posted: “The situation at NIH and for biomedical research in the US is MUCH MUCH WORSE than you realize.” I can confirm that this remains true. It is today MUCH MUCH WORSE than the way everyone is acting in public.

Core principles shape how pain research is designed, conducted, and translated. In a new HEAL Research Priorities interview, Kathleen Sluka, PhD discusses the core principles guiding HEAL pain research with Stephani Sutherland, PhD. Read the article and join the discussion: bit.ly/3MnEZR4

We are still trying to get awards out from October council. The shutdown didn’t help, nor did the lack of true budget. But there is definitely more red tape to get them out.

Check it out, scholarships from the USASP for high priority early career investigators! These are scholarships to support trainees or young investigators for underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds to attend the 2026 annual USASP meeting. Apply by February 5th! www.usasp.org/highpriority...

Not quite: "NIH would not be required to cap the proportion of new multiyear awards at 2024 levels. Instead, the bill limits the amount of money for multiyear funding to the 2025 level, which means the total number of new awards could again drop by 2000 compared with 2024.

This is not true. MYF is capped at FY25 levels, where 39% of all awards were MYF. We need to be very precise about this because the impact is enormous.

The #NIH is awesome. We're proud to work with @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social . #BethesdaDeclaration #strongertogether #fedstrong #NIHStrong

It’s Black History Month! Over the course of this month, we will explore people who have made notable contributions to the biomedical sciences! Today: William Warrick Cardozo, who discovered that heritable traits made people susceptible to sickle cell anemia. blackpast.org/african-amer...

Pure joy in these parts.

The HEAL Initiative is safely documented in the agreed upon NIH funding for FY26 :) (yet to be passed, as I sit furloughed…) but I am optimistic!

Again, all of these advances in our understanding of the human nervous system are only possible because of the organ donors and their families, and because of the funding that comes from the #NIH #HealInitiative: www.nih.gov/heal

Notice of Temporary Extension to Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Eligibility Period: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

Notice of Temporary Extension of Eligibility for the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00): for Individuals whose final due date was September-November 2025 and January-March 2026. As always, reach out to your PO/IC contact to discuss. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

Excellent deep dive into the NIH Institute Director search morass from Undark. undark.org/2026/01/29/n...

Check it out, scholarships from the USASP for high priority early career investigators! These are scholarships to support trainees or young investigators for underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds to attend the 2026 annual USASP meeting. Apply by February 5th! www.usasp.org/highpriority...

Basic Experimental Studies Involving Humans (BESH) will no longer be subject to the requirements under the NIH Clinical Trial Definition. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

I'd add one note of caution about the R21 though - smaller doesn't mean easier to get. In fact, R21 award rates may be lower for some years/ICs. If everyone continues to pile in to the mechanism (yes that is a more than 150x increase in R21 applications since the 1990s), this may get worse.

The NIH budget bill passed the House. Now, it's bundled w/ DHS funding in the Senate. We are likely to see a fight this week. New from me: things to know about the budget bill, NIH presidentialization, free speech, why science has been quiet, & more. At "Can We Still Govern" @donmoyn.bsky.social 🧪

"WK: NIH is a little tricky now. You don’t know who’s running it. It’s hard to trust what’s coming down from on top.".... "It’s pretty clear to everybody in NIH that the executive branch may not value what we do." thetransmitter.org/science-and-...

Wow. This is devastating. www.science.org/content/arti...

I'm not anonymous, but if lapsing appropriations for Labor/HHS (which includes SSA and, uh, railroad retirement administration) is what it takes to stop executing citizens in the streets, it's worth it.

“I don’t think we can exclusively focus on NIH issues anymore. It’s like being worried about missing your mortgage payment during a nuclear war.“ - anonymous NIHer

The Senate may choose to vote together on the DHS and LHHS bills. Thus, a filibuster on DHS may mean no funding for NIH. What my colleagues are saying: “Shut it down, public health will understand. I’ll work without pay again.” - anonymous NIHer

Alex Jeffrey Pretti was an ICU nurse at a VA hospital. His life, through his profession, was dedicated to serving his community and our country. As so many have now seen on video, his final act before he was killed by federal agents was doing everything in his power to protect his community.

He was one of us. A civil servant. Someone who helped veterans. Committed to public service.

This is Alex Pretti. This morning he was murdered by ICE. Six ICE agents held him down and shot him at point blank range. Alex was a nurse and researcher at the VA. Our thoughts are with his loved ones and we stand united in action calling for the abolishment of ICE. #ScientistsAgainstICE

As tens of thousands across America protest the violence that ICE sows with impunity, federal agents shot and killed another person in Minneapolis today.

ICE terrorizes our cities. ICE puts us all in danger. Abolish ICE.

Today is our last day with the incredible Dr Walter Koroshetz at the helm of NINDS. I am forever grateful for his leadership and guidance, and commitment to HEAL pain. I am so lucky to have had four years to learn from and work with him.

Interested in the HEAL K08 or K23? You must now submit via the parent. No change to funding priorities, just NOFO numbers. Contact me with questions. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

The new mechanism for foreign subawards for NIH has finally been published!!! The link on the “related documents” tab for the site below will get you the traditional looking NOFO as a download. There isn’t a direct website link yet. grants.gov/search-resul...