I have to keep this deliberately vague, but this is a total disaster for academic research. And imposing it so suddenly is just cruel. I’ve got friends scrambling to get back to the US before midnight tonight. Do you know how hard that is to do on 36 hours of notice?

Democratic Republic of Congo declares Ebola virus disease outbreak in Kasai province with 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths. Ebola zairevirus is confirmed. via @beaconbio.bsky.social - beaconbio.org/en/report/?r...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s assault may have dealt lasting damage to the CDC, experts fear, with harsh consequences for public health. (Gift article) www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/h...

My heart. Members of the US Public Health Service (the uniformed service branch no one has ever heard of, who serve at the CDC and elsewhere in the US), massed within the CDC property, saluting their departing uniformed leaders who were escorted out by security today after resigning on principle.

You can track the spread of 16 viruses all at once, team at @childrensresearch.bsky.social and elsewhere found, including EV-D68, RSV, metapneumovirus, flu, Covid, rhinovirus. They started out looking for the cause of acute flaccid myelitis - remember that one? www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

And they were singing Bye bye to American Sci

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities...." cc: Sen. Bill Cassidy

Every reputable expert I know considers mRNA vaccine technology to be one of the most revolutionary advances in medicine in our lifetimes. Its inventors won the Nobel Prize in 2023. Shutting it down now is pointless self-harm to humanity.

Shout out to the WSJ journalists who reported on Vought’s impoundment by footnote, causing the White House to walk it back. Impact journalism!!

📣 Funded 3.5yr PhD opportunity (UK tuition fee rate) in @hpruezi.bsky.social @liverpooluni.bsky.social. #PhDSky 🧪 On "Optimising testing & control strategies in the early stages of infectious disease outbreaks" #IDSky #EpiSky ⏳ Deadline to apply: 07 Jul 2025 🔗: www.liverpool.ac.uk/courses/opti...

17 dedicated doctors, pediatricians, scientists, and parents who served on the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (ACIP) were just fired by Secretary Kennedy based on false claims of conflicts of interest – a dangerous and unprecedented action that makes our families less safe.

If people are interested in learning about the ACIP and its decades of contributions to US vaccine policy successes, here’s a short 2014 piece I wrote in NEJM with Adel Mahmoud (timed with its 50th anniversary) www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Kennedy does the thing he said for years he wanted to www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

RFK Jr has worked for more than a decade to sow distrust in vaccines. Despite his efforts, the vast majority of Americans still support vaccines and follow federal guidance. Secretary Kennedy’s decision to remove ACIP members is another act in his crusade to prevent Americans from getting vaccines.

This evening, a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices told us they received "formal notice of your immediate termination" "This is horrifying," a CDC official said of Secy Kennedy's move www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...

What are we doing here?

New powerful article up in the New York Times on cancelled and delayed grants www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Rolling clinical and epi updates for #mpox data from #SierraLeone. Watch for updated versions as additional data becomes available. Heartfelt thanks to our local colleagues in-country led by Dr. Jia Kangbai t.co/D9QosVP1Bq

Researcher Amita Gupta has spent more than a decade planning and running a $70-million trial to study a new tuberculosis drug, enrolling ~6,000 participants in 13 countries. It might all have been for nothing. That's because a new NIH policy has abruptly cut off billions to trials abroad. 🧪

I’m sure it will be rolled out perfectly and error free /s #MedSky

"'It’s a total shit show,' one agency staffer told Important Context, explaining that Bhattacharya seemed unaware of how NIH operated when he arrived. They said he had been promising reforms that were already part of the agency’s work."

Here's the NIH's proposed budget - from $48 billion to $27 billion. NIAID, current ~$7 billion cut to ~$4.2 billion. The proposed 15% cap on indirect costs remains. Again, these budgets are passed, and our leadership in science, technology, and innovation is gone. www.hhs.gov/sites/defaul...

In 1 month, BEACON has already reported 181 disease events & 381 individual reports. We're excited to announce that starting June 2nd, BEACON will be sending a free Weekly Disease Event Digest on Mondays to help you stay informed about emerging threats globally. Sign up below!

I urge everyone to read Unbreaking’s new page on everything the govt is doing to destroy & diminish medical research funding. It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job. unbreaking.org/issues/medic...

Gold standard science

"Our calculations suggest that the proposed budgetary cuts to the NIH will create a social cost that is 16 times greater than the savings that the administration is attempting to achieve." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Who knew that “Do your own research” meant “Have ChatGPT hallucinate references”

Got an idea for a short course you'd like to see at the #ENAR2026 meeting? Submit your proposal by June 6! 📚

And here’s the write-up with early findings and conclusions. Phenomenal work! (Note, all sequencing, analyses, response, etc. done locally!) virological.org/t/genomic-ep...

$9.5 billion of biomedical research support, 2,100 grants, have already been terminated at NIH www.statnews.com/2025/05/27/n...

Must-read post by Your Local Epidemiologist on new FDA COVID vax policy. 👉 "This is about how decisions are made—and who gets to make them. FDA political appointees are sidelining expert panels, bypassing transparency, & turning public health into a performance." open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...

"US scientists who are abruptly unemployed are turning desperation & defiance into coping strategies & advice. But 1 thing is clear: whether they move abroad, pivot to other research areas or leave science, their deep expertise is likely to be lost." By @virginiagewin.bsky.social in @nature.com 🧪

The grant that funded a large part of my doctoral work - a 40 year cohort study which has been running successfully and learning all sorts of things about disease and wellbeing - was just terminated. Surreal.

With nearly all of Harvard Chan School’s direct federal grants terminated, we are relying on philanthropy to power our research and support our educational programs. Every gift, regardless of size, advances our vision of health, dignity, and justice for every human. Support our work: hsph.me/whygive

Abdication of an innovation economy, US 2025 edition.

Defend Public Health has a new campaign aimed at stopping Medicaid cuts. We have a list of Reps from key areas to contact and remind them of why Medicaid is important to their constituents. Please join us in this important effort! @defendpublichealth www.defendpublichealth.org/campaign/sto...

All of my NIH grants terminated this afternoon along with those of all of my colleagues including big (and extremely successful) P01 grants.

My first post here brings lovely news: just heard that all of my NIH and NSF grants were officially terminated today. Have been expecting this for some time, but still jarring to see the news. Have heard similar news from dozens of colleagues. Will be hard, but we'll find a way forward.

Just said goodbye to my NIH MIRA award. Really hurts to see the word “terminated” in writing. Even worse to see it next to the F31 awarded to a fantastic PhD student in my lab @aybv.bsky.social. I REFUSE to let this stop us!!!

Last week I attended a meeting where a former NIH program officer looked out at her audience… 200 infectious disease modelers and field epidemiologists… and said “The United States ought to be very proud of you.” When I tell you I got a lump in my throat… 🥺

A post from an incredibly talented and hardworking colleague of mine in public health. So many research teams are dealing with this devastation right now. My heart breaks… 😔

PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

Here's the judge's ruling on the "cut the indirect cost funding" move by the Trump administration. Permanent injunction!

Another $2.6 billion in cuts to NIH are coming by next Tuesday www.statnews.com/2025/04/03/n... The shredded image fits

The clearing out of #FDA leadership is extraordinary. So many people gone, so few replacements (even acting) named. www.statnews.com/2025/04/03/f...

Among those laid off yesterday: FDA's senior veterinarians working in a center that's played a key role in the response to the bird flu outbreak w/ @lenasun.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

It’s stunning to me that the New York Times did not put the story on the bloodbath at the NIH, CDC, and FDA on its front page this morning.

If you're a scientist at the NIH or another HHS agency who was affected by today's RIF, I'd love to hear about the work you were doing and how important it was for our nation's health! I'm a staff writer at Fierce Biotech, and I can be reached through DM on BlueSky or securely on Signal at dinc.49

Dismantling CDC & HHS will lead to poorer health and unnecessary suffering and death. This is NOT the answer! Take a minute to tell your members of Congress we deserve better. It's quick & easy with APHA's action alert: www.votervoice.net/PublicHealth... #SpeakForHealth

NEW: Thousands of CDC employees who worked on things like preventing HIV and lead poisoning have been told they were subject to a reduction in force. Experts say people will die.