anil oza

I got to interview Bill Nye yesterday for @statnews.com's Breakthrough Summit!! What started as a conversation about Ataxia, a genetic disorder that runs in Bill's family, quickly became about the state of American science under the latest administration

www.statnews.com/2026/10/23/r...

Health care ballot measures to watch: www.statnews.com/2026/10/20/w...

The NYT ran a nice obituary of Helen Branswell. I hope she knew how much she was respected. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/17/h...

I've done a bit of personal writing over the years. Today I published by far the most difficult essay I've written. On @statnews.com today, I share the story of my mother, Regina Bosch. She was brilliant--three Ivy degrees--and funny and charismatic. She was also seriously mentally ill.

A @statnews.com exclusive from me: I obtained emails showing that the American Association of Immunologists, the field's leading society, is sharply divided over California's Prop 38, a $8.4 billion ballot measure to fund immunology & immunotherapy research. www.statnews.com/2026/10/19/c...

A clip from my convo with @michaeldgreen.phd at our STAT summit today about having to remove terms from NIH grants👇

The ACLU, Protect Democracy, and other organizations are representing researchers in a class action lawsuit alleging the NIH is infringing on their freedom of speech by screening grants for certain words and viewpoints when making funding decisions. We hear from one of the plaintiffs. #STATSummit

Really excited for this afternoon of day two of the #STATsummit, where I get to nerd out on brain organoids with one of the field’s pioneers, Paola Arlotta.

I do not do much on social media right now. Making an exception. I talked to a lot of reporters during the pandemic. I don't think any of them would be surprised or offended if I say Helen was the best 1/n

Helen Branswell was one of the greatest health journalists on the planet; she will be missed In April 2020, Duke Today interviewed me about where I was turning to for reliable information about COVID. This is what I said.

Helen Branswell was the best infectious disease reporter I ever knew - ahead of the curve and steadfastly accurate during the Covid-19 pandemic and in all her other coverage. But she was also a wonderful person - smart and funny, generous and kind every day. And she will be missed. @statnews.com

From our session today at #STATSummit w/ Sally Kornbluth & @holdenthorp.bsky.social 👇

We start the day with: Defending the Endless Frontier The U.S. research enterprise is shrinking, and high-impact science is being damaged and derailed. Leaders tell us what's at stake. Read our latest coverage: https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/02/nih-grant-funding-fy2026-analysis/ #STATSummit

She was an exceptional reporter, curious scientist, and all-around wonderful person. I cannot begin to describe the magnitude of this loss for science, public health, and global understanding of disease. We'll miss you enormously, Helen.

I had no idea that Helen Branswell was ill. I'm deeply saddened to hear of her passing. When I became CDC director, a very astute member of the CDC press office told me that I wasn't ready for a briefing unless I was ready for questions from Helen Branswell.

This👇 is such a good example of how on top of her game Helen was. While she was keeping us all updated on Ebola, MERS, flu, and so many of all the other infectious diseases out there, she immediately grasped the gravity of the first warning sign of what we now remember as SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19.

This is really terrible news. Helen was one of the best. Helen Branswell, whose reporting on infectious diseases and public health drew acclaim, dies at 69 www.statnews.com/2026/10/13/h... via @statnews.com

oh my GOD. we’ve lost a giant

Helen Branswell was a gift — to family and friends, to colleagues, and to masses of people whose lives were made better by the work to which she was so devoted. I was lucky to know her. www.statnews.com/2026/10/13/h...

The Trump administration is investigating nine universities -- including Stanford, Harvard, and MIT -- for alleged fraud related to visas commonly used by postdoctoral researchers, a core part of the nation’s biomedical workforce. My latest for @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/10/08/t...

Some Friday news from @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social & I: Steven Quay, a lab leak proponent previously reported as one leading candidate for the job, is out of the running for NIAID director www.statnews.com/2026/10/09/s...

👀

A good day to reread this @aniloza.bsky.social analysis www.statnews.com/2024/10/11/n...

NEW: In March the White House released an FY27 budget request that zeroed out the National Science Foundation's directorate of Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). For months it was unclear what would happen. Now, with FY26 over, the damage to SBE is coming to light. My reporting:

“If you have a broken clock and you know how it’s going to be five minutes slow every time, you can adjust your routines to take care of that,” @tvalley.bsky.social said. But now, it’s unclear whether that metaphorical clock is running fast or slow. #PulseOx www.statnews.com/2026/10/06/p...

"The NIH cut the number of grants on studying health disparities from 209 in 2024 to 186 in 2025 and 151 in 2026. Similarly, grants mentioning race or ethnicity declined from 883 in 2024 to 598 in 2026." www.statnews.com/2026/10/02/n... via @statnews.com

What did NIH spend its budget on this fiscal year, and how has that changed due to Trump administration priorities? @aniloza.bsky.social, @jaspar.bsky.social, and I teamed up for @statnews.com to look at the agency's grants data. Here's what we learned 👇 www.statnews.com/2026/10/02/n...

Be my colleague! STAT is hiring for a pharma reporter (suggested amount of experience: at least 5 years covering biopharma/business of health). Remote within the U.S. is okay (though we have offices in Boston and DC); salary is $74,911 – $120,000. #journojobs #journalismjobs #journalism

👀

@grimmrad.bsky.social we offer discounts up to 75% off here: www.statnews.com/stat-subscri... or email subscribers@statnews.com for more info!

“A planned executive order that would have greatly enhanced White House influence over grants at the National Institutes of Health is “looking dead,” according to one person familiar with the decision and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)” Via @aniloza.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/n...

Confirming the White House’s planned EO to exert more political control on NIH seems to be “dead” www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/n...

Exclusive: Heidi Overton plans to tell Senators that as FDA commissioner, she would focus on speeding up clinical trials to compete with China. More on her opening statement for tomorrow's hearing here: www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/h...