9/ So what is the answer? I think a starting point is reforming NIH. Make NIH research more public-facing, streamline the grant process, and fund real-world issues like Behavioral health, social determinants of health (think housing, food insecurity), nutrition, and prevention strategies.

Two appointees of the NIH Council of Councils write… “…these developments threaten the health & well-being of the people of the U.S… NIH funding has supported lifesaving advances that have improved the quality of care, extended lives & reduced suffering for millions…” 🧪 go.nature.com/46Vr8t2

recently terminated NOFOs are being terminated because of the new simplified review framework implemented this year 🧪 grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

"Between February 28, 2025, and April 8, 2025, 694 NIH grants were terminated across 24 of the 26 institutes and centers (including the Office of the Director) that administered active NIH grants.The cumulative amount of terminated grant funding was $1.81 billion jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

When the NIH cut funding for my research on food and housing insecurity, they sent a letter stating my work was “antithetical to the scientific inquiry” They couldn’t be more wrong. I explain why in @statnews.com #PublicHealth #Pediatrics #DEI www.statnews.com/2025/04/15/n...

Dr. Webb Hooper is a terrific, highly respected cancer research scientist. It is devastating that the former Director Dr. Perez-Stable—also an excellent and well-regarded cancer researcher—was so summarily dismissed. Director Webb Hooper will fight for the vision of the NIMHD.

Outcry works.

SCIENTISTS: The proposed Schedule F is out. It has potential to undermine or destroy merit-based science. Rules/regulations have the force of law. This rule may put peer review in the hands of political appointees. Make your public comment here: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

Women’s health has been un-and understudied since the NIH was founded. We have only have 2 women directors; the first one immediately got a women’s health initiative going. This study was a key part of that work, begun in 1990 and an important longitudinal dataset.

The report with the underlying data for the Washington Post story about firings of disproportionate numbers of women and underrepresented minorities from NIH Boards of Scientific Counselors. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

#nih Listening real time to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya share his vision for NIH during the public Council of Council meeting. It is a “sea change” If you receive NIH funding, this is a videocast to replay and watch. videocast.nih.gov/watch=56725

HHS may try again to merge the National Institute on Drug Abuse & the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - will objections be raised again by the alcohol industry? See story from 2012 - NIH Backs Off Plan to Merge Addiction Institutes www.science.org/content/arti...

Trump proposes massive NIH budget cut and reorganization | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Good. | ACLU sues National Institutes of Health for ‘ideological purge’ of research projects www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

WASHINGTON (AP) — FDA's tobacco director has been forced out, the latest in a string of departures at the public health agency.

The entire National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) team at SAMHSA was terminated today. Do not listen to the platitudes of this administration when they say they care about drug overdose, addiction, mental health, or suicide.

NYT: "Brian King, the leader of the FDA’s tobacco division, was offered a job with the Indian Health Service in Alaska this morning — a clear ouster from the Trump administration...[President Trump] has accepted at least $8M in campaign funds in recent years from tobacco companies." Read more:

Thread - I am OVERWHELMED by these words of support, love and anger\, expressed by 117 current and former students of @medillschool.bsky.social. This touches me deeply. If nothing else, my students and I got to learn life lessons together. I'll share highlights dailynorthwestern.com/2025/03/30/l...

The countdown for April 17 Day of Action for Higher Education is underway! Visit www.dayofactionforhighered.org to sign up for virtual events and to let us know what you're planning on your campus!

if you're mad about the NIH cuts (and you should be), this is an *amazing* resource to help with calling your reps and talking to the media: www.nihforamerica.org #episky #medsky

Great article by @pamherd.bsky.social, and explainer thread, on NIH review: “It is an intensely competitive process, where most participants invest lots of time, and leave empty-handed. The level of competition means that merit and quality is embedded into the process.”

If you need a place to start explaining to people why NIH is so important, and how rigorous its reviews already are, this is perfect. Thank you @pamherd.bsky.social.

Just informed that we now must provide biweekly accounts of our work accomplishments in order to draw down funds from our active NIH grants. A new field was added to the grants management form.

D’oh! NIH Warns Fired Researchers to be Wary of Foreign Recruitment talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/doh-n...

Reminder that public services are precisely why taxes are levied.

Francis Collins, longtime NIH director with bipartisan bona fides*, retires as of yesterday. He returned to NIH in 2023 to focus on research in his own lab, in the NIH in-house intramural research campus. His letter seems to imply he wasn’t ready to leave. NIH is being torn down. 1/🧪 #academicsky

NIH Intramural rare cancer research extended the life of a brilliant musician friend, several years beyond what was expected, long enough for her to travel, laugh, & love, & record an album or two of gorgeous music.

📣 New zine! "Radical Books That Aren't a Slog : Leftist Book Recommendations for Newly Radical Folks." If you're a baby leftist looking for a place to start imagining new possibilities, here's 17 books to get you started! violetbfox.info/radicalbooks/ 📚

It has been bleak watching both political parties in the US agree on the notion that academic freedom should not exist and courses, language and even job listings must be controlled and approved by politicians.

"It is no exaggeration to say this will kill people—mainly people who are elderly, disabled and/or poor. Society’s most vulnerable sit in the crosshairs of our nation’s wealthiest people who have absolutely everything, but somehow always want more."

Why don't Americans know that much about Palestine? Just look at the latest attempt to gut Ethnic Studies in California by Democratic lawmakers to understand why: AB 1468. My latest includes background on ethnic studies in CA… nadiarahman.substack.com/p/ab-1468-th...

President Trump issued an Executive Order restricting access to "intimate spaces" by "biological sex," and declaring that there are only two sexes. He *really* didn't think this one through. 😂 Visit www.thepissport.com

Two weeks ago we wrote about why things had been relatively quiet from science activists Things are changing — two separate protests are being planned, one by @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social and one by @standupforscience.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/02/13/r...

Sat down with former NIH director Monica Bertagnolli yesterday at #aaasmtg to talk about layoffs set to hit the NIH and other agencies “We’re going to lose the next generation, that is the most difficult loss," she said, adding she got very little sleep Friday 🧪 www.statnews.com/2025/02/16/n...

Well, the news dump for NIH this weekend was a Saturday evening news dump. We are hearing about scores of talented scientists and staff being fired via email tonight.

The most undervalued tools of resistance are joy, humor and the ability to maintain your goodness because that is what these systems of oppression are designed to destroy. They want you overwhelmed, they want you hopeless because then you're easier to manipulate, control, defeat and destroy.

Today is International Day of Women & Girls in Science. Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of science & health & continue to inspire generations of scientists & innovators. 🔬 #WomenInScience #WomenInSTEM

JUST IN: Federal judges orders HHS, CDC, and FDA to restore “by no later than 11:59 pm” today their websites and datasets to pre-January 30th status. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

“It’s sorta like a series of poker games, And now I’ve gone onto a more high-stakes poker game and just carried those chips with me… And I haven’t gone and taken my winnings and spent a big chunk, but I’ve really just put almost all of it into a new game.” Musk, 1999

JUST IN: A federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked the Trump administration's rate change to NIH grants. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Last day to submit comments on US dietary guidelines. Alcohol researchers & activists urge revisions. Per WHO there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. Commenting is not lobbying. #alcoholpolicy #alcoholresearch

8/What can you do? 📢 Raise awareness 📬 Contact your representatives 🧪 Support institutions and policies that fund research Regardless of how you lean politically this would cause a big economic down turn for your state. We will all suffer. Feel free to use these point when you call your rep! FIN

3/ Right now, NIH pays ~50-60% indirect costs to major research institutions. The proposed cap of 15% would create a massive funding gap, forcing universities to cut back on research programs, lay off staff, or hike tuition. This will cause mass unemployment and plunge us into recession.

Good blog post on describing why the NIH drop in IDC would have such negative effects. It is clear, non-technical and has things that can be done by everyone www.kateringland.com/the-hidden-b...

Today would be a good day to call your reps (every day is a good day to call your reps). Find out who represents you here: www.congress.gov/members/find... Calling is best, but you can also email or fax. Make sure you give them your zip code and let them know you are a constituent. 🧵

The cancellation of the project for political reasons “is pretty alarming,” says cancer researcher Mandi Pratt-Chapman. scim.ag/4b7RZCx

Sources: New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/u... STAT: www.statnews.com/2025/02/07/n... NIH: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide... x.com/NIH/status/1...

The NIH announced it will slash billions of dollars of support to universities and research centers. This is one of the biggest attacks on science we have ever seen. It could dismantle the biomedical research system, shut down clinical trials, and halt development of treatments.

This is the damage that right wing disinformation causes, years of sowing seeds of distrust for evidence based medicine and expert analysis and consensus leads to the right trusting charlatans, frauds, and quacks over facts and data.

An informative yet depressing read about what's going on inside NIH in the US "...said changes [...] are an outrage, a vindictive ideological assault on agencies that (for all their flaws) have helped produce major scientific advances in more fields than I can name." www.science.org/content/blog...