'One year of failure.' The Lancet slams RFK Jr.’s first year as health chief | NPR www.npr.org/2026/02/28/n...

During last weekend’s life-threatening freeze, city leaders asked OnPoint’s overdose prevention center (OPC) to stay open 24/7 to keep people indoors, warm, and alive. They did. That’s what OPCs are: community safety infrastructure that saves lives, cuts 911 calls, and connects people to care.

In this @thehill.com op-ed, @ninachristie.bsky.social (@aaas.org) argues that for HHS’ new $100M addiction initiative to work, it must engage with, rather than reject, evidence-based recovery approaches that promote and center community, including harm reduction + housing first models. Read now. ⤵️

RFK Jr. has harmed the US. Most have justifiably focused on what he has sought to destroy, like vaccine access. What he seeks to "build" may be just as harmful. "Great American Recovery" is a return to coerced treatment and departure from evidence-based approaches. See my newest piece in The Hill.

Excited that my TEDx ABQ Talk is out now! Tune in to hear some of my thoughts on the intersection of social connection and addiction, and why we should strive to create and maintain meaningful relationships in our own lives. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU8w...

🧪 Senate appropriators say: NIH's budget gets a... boost! Rather than 40% cut, NIH gets a $400M *increase* in the Senate committee bill for FY26 (about +1%). "Congress has your back," said @murray.senate.gov. ADVOCACY MATTERS! There's still a long road (esp in the House), so keep up pressure.

Shouting from the rooftops again: Cutting research grants means the loss of that potential knowledge, yes. But most of the money in a grant supports JOBS. Your local university losing grants means your community losing prosperity. It means your kid having to take more loans for school.

Getting this unprompted email from a participant absolutely made my day and gave me a much needed reminder on the role of research in participants' lives, even from something as simple as a daily diary study. Posting with permission from a participant:

BREAKING: Scientists are staging a “science fair” in the lobby of a Congressional building to tell elected officials about the critical knowledge the US will lose because their research grants have been canceled.

In light of recent cuts to funding for HIV prevention, I was re-listening to the Rent soundtrack, and then picked up the novel Four Squares. Both tell human stories of the AIDS crisis in the 80s. Now, I’m thinking about what folks learned then so we can build support for trust in public health now.

My first RSA was a whirlwind! 3 highlights to share: discussing the importance of AA meeting quality for recovery, the mindfulness based relapse prevention workshop by @katiew.bsky.social & @monizlewis.bsky.social, and being a mentee of @katiew.bsky.social who received the Marlatt Mentorship Award!

I am really excited to publish this work from my dissertation which shows that positive social experiences are perceived as especially protective – and negative ones as especially risky – for relapse risk. Fostering positive social connections is crucial, keep on connecting!

Truly incredible statement on current affairs directly from NIH employees. How can you demonstrate your support? Here is a link to sign in support of science and the Bethesda Declaration here: www.standupforscience.net/bethesda-dec...

Cassie said it best in yet another great piece in the ABQ Journal from addiction scientists: "We owe it to every person struggling with substance use, and their families, to act now to save the very infrastructure that saves families from unnecessary suffering." Check it out here:

Absolutely worth the two minute listen! What we are facing now with the proposed cuts to NIH is not a 5-year problem, but a 10-year, 20-year, 30-year problem

Only 100 days into his presidency, the Trump admin & Congress are scaling back support for health services that prevent overdose & offer a path to recovery. With $1.5 trillion in cuts still on the table, we continue to fight for care. Learn more: drugpolicy.org/news/trumps-...

Great article by @ethanbrooks.bsky.social about the underutilization of buprenorphine. Mallory's story highlights the benefits of this treatment for opioid addiction, while her brother's illustrates our failures in the treatment sector. www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...

Writing to your neighbors about your science is a critical skill! The time is now to advocate for the health of your community, for your community. @standupforscience.bsky.social @sufsnewmexico.bsky.social

Lots of news today - my op-ed is now out in the Albuquerque Journal. Science is for all. Let's take a stand, together! #StandUpForScience @standupforscience.bsky.social @sufsnewmexico.bsky.social @wearehighered.bsky.social @insidehighered.com @govmlg.bsky.social

News from yesterday's UNM rally supported by @standupforscience.bsky.social with @faheypsych.bsky.social @matwmccool.bsky.social and @monizlewis.bsky.social! Great shot of Ikela speaking (feat. me in the background taking videos as if I'm Regina George's mom) @insidehighered.com

Inspiring to see Kalina speak today at the Higher Education day of action! Hope to see you all at the next event with @sufsnewmexico.bsky.social @standupforscience.bsky.social

Addiction science needs your support! Please read the statement of concern and consider signing as an individual or (if applicable) as an organization. Scroll to the bottom of the webpage and click the box that says "individual endorsement" or "organizational endorsement".

Hoping to see even more universities stand up like this: "The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government." www.harvard.edu/president/ne...

Loved working with @hannahcarlon.bsky.social who used critical discourse analysis to assess how US opinion news media portrays harm reduction. Spoilers: Over 80% of opinion media in 2023-2024 was positive, yet stigmatizing language abounds. 50 days free access: authors.elsevier.com/c/1kvxI3PEro...

Proud to be a UCLA alum, today and every day #GoBruins @uclaupdates.bsky.social @uofcalifornia.bsky.social

Some good news from @cassie-boness.bsky.social and her stellar team! Focusing on patient centered outcomes is increasingly important work and I am so excited to see where this leads

Feeling particularly grateful to have had the chance to end the #CPA2025 conference and march in the Hands Off! rally today in Providence, RI with thousands of others to continue to stand up for science and public goods. @standupforscience.bsky.social @sufsnewmexico.bsky.social

Had an amazing time at #CPA2025! So much fun with colleagues talking about how cannabis legalization, specifically state-level implementation decisions, impacts public health outcomes. @cassie-boness.bsky.social @juststrickland.bsky.social @samuelacuff.bsky.social

I cannot overstate the damage this will do to the community of people who use drugs and those of us whose work is focused on mitigating drug related harms. I am at a loss for words

We're standing up for science in our op-ed series at the ABQ Journal 🔬 Read the first article by @faheypsych.bsky.social here: www.abqjournal.com/opinion/arti...

Great piece by my friend, colleague, and officemate! She highlights an important question with regard to the federal attacks on science - "what kind of message is this sending to our young scientists?"

Feeling like you need to do something? Want to tell the administration Hands Off Our Science? Same. Happening in ONE week folks - find an event near you! Today, I am particularly concerned with what @jeremymberg.bsky.social shared on training grants for early career scientists.

Please please please continue to submit details of your terminated grant using this Google Form 👇 Your submissions continue to be key to understanding patterns of grant terminations and facilitating advocacy and litigation. 💪💪💪

NEW for @sfchronicle.com: A study dropped today showing that in San Francisco, overdoses increase in areas where police have seized drugs. We're seeing this in real time: As law enforcement efforts have ramped up in recent months, fatal overdoses have risen. That's not a coincidence. (gift link)

SAMHSA is a small agency that does a ton of stuff; much of the work I do - things I am proud to be able to do/offer - is thanks to them. They also oversee the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which fields MILLIONS of calls. They have fewer than 900 employees and half of them are getting fired

The Department of Education announced this morning that it was investigating 45 universities, UNM included, for potential Title VI violations by "engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs."

SAMHSA funds groups that distribute naloxone to the people who need it most & help people with substance use disorder gain stability in their lives. Trump's funding cuts threaten their work & jeopardizes essential services like overdose prevention services: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/h... #drugsky

If you want to hear a bit more about what was said, here is a great write-up with info on how specific state bills currently in the legislative process at the end! Keep making your voices heard, it matters. sourcenm.com/2025/03/07/n... @standupforscience.bsky.social @sourcenm.com

Proud to say that we ran a successful rally in Santa Fe! About 200 people came out in support, and this is just the beginning of our movement. Thank you to all who contributed to this success, particularly my co-organizers, @faheypsych.bsky.social @matwmccool.bsky.social and @cgillezeau.bsky.social

Want to keep your science advocacy going above and beyond the (very cool and very funny) protest signs you've got for tomorrow? Come hang out with me and I'll teach you! This coming Monday and Tuesday, both starting at 1:00 PM EDT // 10:00 AM PDT Learn more and register at stemedify.com

We stand up for science because science stands up for us! Funding for science saves lives, creates jobs, grows our economy, can work to save our climate, and fosters innovation.

BIG NEWS for @standupforscience.bsky.social New Mexico! The Governor of New Mexico officially signed a proclamation declaring Friday March 7th, 2025 as Stand Up For Science Day!! @govmlg.bsky.social I stand for science, New Mexico stands for science. I'd like to know, what do you stand for?

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/s... Kind of speechless. Thank you to @katrinamillerphd.bsky.social for coving our movement so well. @standupforscience.bsky.social @jpflores.bsky.social @samschuelstein.bsky.social @leslie-bern.bsky.social @emmalovesscience.bsky.social

Stand Up For Science 2025 is happening TOMORROW! Looking forward to seeing all of my New Mexico folks in Santa Fe at the state capitol building at noon!

Yall better be both sharing the Stand up for Science posts /and/ figuring out how to get your butt to one of them! @standupforscience.bsky.social

Had a great time making posters to #standupforscience - huge thanks to everyone who showed up to support the cause. Couldn't make it? Join us this Friday in Santa Fe!

I know where I will be - join us in Santa Fe and nationwide to Stand Up For Science. New Mexico folks - share widely, and register to attend here: www.eventbrite.com/e/stand-up-f...

New Mexico folks! Please DM me or @ninachristie.bsky.social if you have a button maker we could borrow! Looking to make some buttons for @standupforscience.bsky.social

Hi all! Some really incredible people have put together a nationwide protest very quickly - they need financial support to make the DC and statewide rallies a success! here is the link to donate to the cause #standupforscience2025