It’s that time of the year again! Lab members moving on to bigger and better things! Ariana Boorboor going to UCSD for medical school, Ben Yao staying at Penn (woohoo!) for the research track iPower ophthalmology residency, and Khaled Safadi going to McGill for glaucoma fellowship! So proud! 🥹

After braving the i95 this morning… www.neroone.com/product/i-95

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, on January 24. DHS claims he died after an armed struggle, but videos of the incident appears to contradict that claim. Read our analysis here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...

This is the times we live in www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/wha...

Insecure, Frustrated Bully With Something To Prove Considering Career In Law Enforcement https://theonion.com/insecure-frustrated-bully-with-something-to-prove-cons-1819575405/

Oprah Pursues Dr. Phil On Ship Through Arctic

Thanks @bwjones.bsky.social for the shout-out and pic!

Daily struggle

‘New York Times’ Announces New Columnist Will Contribute Nothing To Society 3 Times A Week

Please Like Me

Please sign and repost. Let’s leave politics out of science.

Vision science students/early-career faculty: Get yer @iser.bsky.social travel awards for the 5th ISER/ @brightfocus.bsky.social Foundation Glaucoma Symposium (October 8-11th at the Emory Conference Center and Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, USA). iserbrightfocusglaucoma.org

Special @arvoinfo.bsky.social lunch with a few of my favorite people 😊 hoping this is a new tradition!

Poster sessions now from @bcleonard on a murine dry eye model and @ucdavisvetmed ophthalmology resident Brett Story on gene therapy in a sheep model of Tay-Sachs disease. @ARVOinfo #ARVO2025

Dr. Ana Ripolles-Garcia is presenting some gorgeous work on normative FPF data in 🐒. #ARVO2025 #glaucoma

Check out the corneal immune populations in a🐁 model of evaporative dry eye disease by @ucdavisvetmed comparative #Ophthalmology resident Dr. Erinn Mills and her mentor @bcleonard. @arvoinfo.bsky.social

#ARVO2025 in Salt Lake City is a wrap! Thank you from the @arvoinfo.bsky.social staff to our nearly 11,000 attendees from 60 countries for making this Annual Meeting such an amazing success. We look forward to seeing you in Denver, Colo. for #ARVO2026. bit.ly/2GAJova

Was a pleasure planning and moderating this mini-symposium. Many thanks to all of our amazing speakers! @arvoinfo.bsky.social #ARVO2025

Obligatory photo under the #ARVO2025 sign! Cui and Dunaief labs @arvoinfo.bsky.social @pennmedicine.bsky.social

Catching up with the girlies @arvoinfo.bsky.social #ARVO2025

On Tuesday at @arvoinfo.bsky.social 2025 in SLC, I will be moderating a glaucoma minosymposium discussing the bench to bedside pipeline. We have assembled a terrific group of speakers from academia, industry, regulatory agencies, and private foundations to discuss this often opaque process. Join us!

Gearing up for @arvoinfo.bsky.social 2025 in SLC: Ben Yao from the lab will be presenting his work examining monocyte infiltration and microglia activation following IOP elevation, and the effect of treating with GLP-1 receptor agonists. Come for the science, stay for the science 😊

I had such a great time visiting @upenn for their vision science seminar series and perfectly timed the 🍒 blossoms. I really enjoyed my lunch with the trainees from the @RompolasLab and @CuiLab - what a bright future they have!

The plan for NIH is in, source with full 64 page proposal for all of HHS is linked. Reported in WaPo. This is catastrophic. Reduction to 8 centers. 40% cut in budget. 15% IDC cap. This will decimate science across America open.substack.com/pub/insideme...

Still mad about this… www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sen...

If you are in NYC, there is an emergency protest at Senator Chuck Schumer’s office at 9AM. 780 Third Ave in Manhattan.

Democratic Leaders Stand Real Still In Hopes No One Notices Them

Role model. More heckling please www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/u...

DOGE By The Numbers theonion.com/doge-by...

When Mitch McConnell has become the voice of reason in your party, you know the GOP is completely broken. Every other Republican senator voted to confirm RFK Jr., a dangerous anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, as HHS Secretary. This is a dark day for public health.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! THIS ONE’S FOR YOU PHILLY!

Many of my US friends say that they are coping by not turning on the news. I understand it and don't blame them but I guess this is also how descent into authoritarianism works - most people, understandably, just concentrating on getting by in their lives and in their local community.

Happy Lunar New Year! 新年快乐! 蛇年大吉! Wishing everyone prosperity, health, safety, and wisdom in an uncertain time.