hellabores92.bsky.social

YOUR VOICE COUNTS! GO VOTE. VOTE EARLY.

My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today. Walter and I met on the bridge of the Enterprise in the 1960s, and we stayed friends for nearly six decades. When Brad and I married in 2008, Walter stood beside us as our best man.

The NIH proposal to conceal reviewer scores from program officers, investigators, and advisory councils is ill-conceived, introduces disproportionate weight to small percentile differences, diminishes the role of scientific peer review, and should be withdrawn in its entirety. a 🧵

South African judge Navi Pilay won the Nobel Peace Prize for her long career seeking accountability for authoritarian regimes. The Nobel Committee understands there is no peace without justice.

Comment on peer review proposal by Oct 13th “Although NIH leadership says this proposal is the same as the NSF review process, we’ve spoken to people who have experienced review for both agencies who say that it is very different. The NSF process is transparent; there are no ‘secret scores.’…

Submit comments on changes to peer review by OCTOBER 13th. Details how to are found in the Introduction. Also listen to or read the transcript of an excellent podcast on WCOM 103.5 where knowledgeable former and current staff discuss peer review at NIH. 27unihted.substack.com/p/how-to-com...

Today I gave a talk at the NIH on "Virus Emergence & The Origin of Pandemics". I had a fun time presenting on five+ years of collaborative research and got a lot of great questions! The NIH Director even found time to tweet about it.. 💫 Slides for those interested: andersen-lab.com/files/2026.1...

Hope can feel in short supply these days. But I am truly hopeful for the future, in large part because of the community we've built through the Bethesda Declaration. Proud to share these reflections on hope: ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.... May they bring you some hope.

Infectious diseases know no borders! We must support global collaborations to remain leaders in biomedical research. 27unihted.substack.com/p/disruption...

Want to know more? Check out what the WHO says about dengue:

Courage is Contagious. Excellent article by Sylvia Chou. It takes a lot to stand up for the truth when there is a culture of fear but what we lose is so much more if we do not. www.psychologicalscience.org/publications...

After a long day at the aquarium, the otters help tidy their toys away. Payment is made promptly and entirely in ice cubes.

Murray, Baldwin Lead Colleagues in Demanding Vought Abandon Any and All Plans to Exert Political Control Over NIH Funding bit.ly/3TTU0h 💥 @baldwin.senate.gov @murray.senate.gov

That is right. NIH is in terrible shape. But it is not dead. Peer review is weakened but not yet dead. Program staff advocacy for good science is weakened but not yet dead. Grants are going out the door, fewer than before but not yet dead.

NIH funding doesn't belong to Donald Trump—it belongs to the patients and families waiting for the next medical breakthrough. We cannot let Trump politicize federal research grants and give right-wing extremists a veto over lifesaving work. SPEAK UP FOR SCIENCE.

Protect Democracy: Researchers challenge NIH screening of grants for disfavored viewpoints Class action lawsuit seeks to stop censorship and termination of federally funded scientific research   @protectdemocracy.org Jay Bhattacharya bit.ly/473GOJy

Agencies spent nearly $10 billion for feds not to work in 2025. www.govexec.com/oversight/20...

More power to these brave researchers for standing up for what is right and to stop the censorship and termination of NIH grants www.aclu.org/press-releas...

Strong statement from IDSA asking for more transparency about the interagency agreement between NIAID/NIH and DoD. It significantly impacts ID and HIV studies funded by NIAID for decades! www.idsociety.org/news--public...

Public Hearing of NIAID Proposed Reorganization NIAID proposes to "disestablish" DCR DCR for years was led by Dr Cliff Lane, who was fired bit.ly/46YwrXn

"Separation from the CDC and its consequences" "Three-quarters faced financial barriers to health care, nearly 80% reported moderate or severe sleep problems, and half experienced moderate or severe psychological distress" academic.oup.com/healthaffair...

This Labor Day, if you've ever benefited from:   — The weekend — 40-hour work weeks — Workplace safety standards — A minimum wage — Paid time off   thank a union.   Unions don’t just improve working conditions for their members, they help every American worker.   Happy Labor Day!

94yr old JOHN WILLIAMS delivered a surprise performance of ‘The Imperial March” from Star Wars in front of 13,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night. He is the soundtrack to our lives.

The Department of War will get access to $ 700 million from NIAID through an interagency agreement. Will transferred projects be peer reviewed? We will be far less prepared for future pandemics if it’s not managed at NIAID!!! Are $ from other NIH institutes next? ” www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Congress already appropriated funds to the NIH for specific projects. The defense department cannot divert these funds from the NIH. As taxpayers, we should know what interagency agreements have been made. thehill.com/homenews/hou...

Defense Officials Attempt to Raid NIH Funds to Cover Department of Defense Activities bit.ly/3UziCvO

Why your doctor can't give you a cure tomorrow: how effective treatments are discovered and developed. Part 1 🧪 🧵 #science #news #education #health #research

CDC staff have shown extraordinary resilience. But resilience cannot mean asking public servants to absorb endless disruption. The institution itself must become more resilient—with safeguards that protect science, scientists, and the mission of protecting health. www.statnews.com/2026/08/28/c...

NIH wants to shroud peer review scores. Here’s what you can do about it. by @27unihted.bsky.social bit.ly/4zNKhJC 💥

The future of science in America is fragile. There’s a lot to lose. www.wbur.org/news/2026/08...

Stella Parton on her sister, Dolly: "What the world saw is exactly who she was, so much so, she told me recently that if there was no hope for her, she would still allow her medical team to try experimental drugs in the hope of helping others in the future." Absolute legend.

On August 14, NIH unveiled a plan to blind grant applicants and their program officers to the scores determined by peer reviewers. 27unihted.substack.com/p/nih-wants-...

Letter from 130 bioethicists condemns the “unwarranted, ill-advised, & frankly bizarre vendetta against a scientist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, rather than making a sincere effort to learn from the painful experiences of the pandemic to improve national preparedness” bioethicstoday.org/blog/an-open...

Protect Peer Review. Please take the time to read the article written by knowledgeable NIH current and former workers. Submit a comment by October 13th! bsky.app/profile/nihv...

Exclusive: NSF set to issue lowest number of new grants in four decades! The US science-funding agency is withholding $1 billion of its budget so that the money can go to a special White House project. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Tomorrow is the last day to submit comments. PLEASE consider doing so. Detailed article on political appointees in the Interagency Autusm Coordinating Committee 27unihted.substack.com/p/hhss-strat...

My former colleague has brilliantly provided additional context to understand the new NIH Unified Funding Strategy. A must read! substack.com/@jennifertro...

@bruceylee.bsky.social has a really nice article using sports analogies about the implications of the proposed changes in scientific peer review at the NIH. Please take the time to comment by October 13th here rfi.grants.nih.gov?s=6a2b1c22c3.... bsky.app/profile/bruc... bsky.app/profile/bruc...

Major changes are proposed for peer review. There will be 3 bins (Most Competitive, Competitive and Not Discussed). Not providing a score to Program Officers and Applicants is NOT helpful. Please comment by October 13th with your concerns!! grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

Every parent wants to keep their children safe, and vaccines are among the most powerful tools for doing that, making deadly diseases preventable.

Vaccines save Lives! bsky.app/profile/amer...

www.instagram.com/reel/DZDL_1V...

NIH has lost more than 20% of its staff. NIH has lost 1 in every 5 workers. This undermines the NIH mission. @27unihted.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/27unihte...

www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/the-...

Another important article by Dr. Bertagnolli. Science and public health matter. The public sector has much to lose and we need to protect scientists. www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-we...

Truth and the pursuit of science are worth fighting for especially in this climate when highly respected scientists and public health advocates are being continually attacked. Few scientists have the resilience, grit and respect like Dr. Fauci. open.substack.com/pub/27unihte...

Detailed article by former Program Officer, Kim Mcallister about the changes and long term consequences at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) open.substack.com/pub/27unihte...

My thoughts "Career scientists should not be politicized or persecuted because of a difference of opinion or because science evolves. I'm concerned about the toll this is having on career scientists being able to serve the public" @firedbutfighting.bsky.social www.ms.now/ms-now/watch...