Save Health Research

I’m an NIH whistleblower. The scientific community cannot afford to avoid politics “Scientists are often encouraged to avoid politics. But this advice is outdated, if it was ever correct in the first place,” writes Jenna Norton, NIH whistleblower.

A heads down approach will not save science. We need to speak up, live our values, and demand integrity.

www.statnews.com/2026/03/12/n...

‘How is he going to have the time?’ NIH staff voice concern as Bhattacharya takes on CDC role Scientists fear NIH director will be even more absent and leave key issues unresolved as he takes interim CDC lead

Great new piece by @melodyschreiber.com in The Guardian about NIH/CDC Director Bhattacharya .

In it, I talk about asking Bhattacharya in January about a recent issue affecting the affordability of healthcare for thousands of early career researchers on the NIH campuses.

We have a rotating exhibit of Cajal drawings at NIH. Along with the drawings, a 3D printed model of the image is printed to make Cajal’s work accessible.

I was invited to write captions for the images with a group of NIH neuroscientists but our last contribution, from Dec. 2024, never went up.

Fired Fed highlights Rare Disease Day!

Big hello Bluesky from Alt EPA (not an official govt page). EPA is in the news for big things - the tiny snail darter fish (temporarily) shutting down a planned dam, responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, cleaning up superfund sites, limiting what can be introduced into the water and air.

I had to renegotiate my F99/K00 award twice in 6 months, and on both occasions I asked what specifically “DEI activities” means. I didn’t get clear answers, so I was hopeful the person that directive came from could specify (the NIH Director). I asked the on @whyshoulditrustyou.bsky.social podcast

RFK Jr's HHS may not be honoring our public health heroes working hard for Black communities this month, but make no mistake - the work continues.
💚 What are your favorite organizations doing great work for equity in health?
📣 Give them a shout out below!
#BlackHistoryMonth

Please give a big “thank you” to #altgov family and all the organizations, coalitions, and allies who are doing the good work to save, protect, and ensure access to data.

Resistance takes many forms.

www.shadac.org/news/federal...

On Jan 24, 2026, we asked Senate to ensure ICE and CBP. 1) immediately halt the invasion of American cities 2) submit to independent investigations 3) adopt protocols that do not violate the Constitution YOU CAN Call your Senators now. Demand Senators stop ICE and Protect Health.

We sent all Senators a message. ✉️
Stop ICE. 🧊 Protect Health. 🩺
You should to. ➕
Our full letter is available at www.SaveHHS.org.

Letter written with @savehealthresearch.bsky.social @27unihted.bsky.social.

An NIH source tells me that after this story was published, agency leadership held an emergency meeting about Council approval and is looking for ways to speed up the pipeline.

"Better late than never?" the source says.

Read the Save HHS open letter!

www.savehhs.org/letter-we-wi...

The Senate may choose to vote together on the DHS and LHHS bills. Thus, a filibuster on DHS may mean no funding for NIH. What my colleagues are saying:

“Shut it down, public health will understand. I’ll work without pay again.”
- anonymous NIHer

‘Shattered’: US scientists speak out about how Trump policies disrupted their careers Researchers lay bare the human toll of lay-offs, funding cuts and attacks on science one year after the president’s return to the White House.

"We, as a group, have decided to persevere with the same language — unaltered, uncensored. I feel strongly that there is no other way to accurately describe the problem and investigate it rigorously." - @dmohottige.bsky.social

This is scientific integrity.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Why “Better Than It Could Have Been” Isn’t Good Enough Updates to NIH funding and a reminder of complexity.

"We can cheer for these bright spots, while still being realistic... We can’t pretend this is perfect, and we can’t ignore the real risks that could await us in 2026."
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social on the NIH funding bill.

fromthescienceclass.substack.com/p/why-better...

Some throwback stories 🫶🐔🫶

@jenna-m-norton.bsky.social @gregggonsalves.bsky.social @jeremymberg.bsky.social @ianlmorgan.bsky.social @27unihted.bsky.social @firedbutfighting.bsky.social @altspaceforce.altgov.info @resistancerangers.altgov.info @altnih4science.bsky.social @roguefema.altgov.info

Instagram Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.

Send her a pic and your story at
RocketBearProject@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/rocketbearpr...

If so, meet RocketBear and her owner, a fired USAID worker.

RocketBear’s owner will draw your pet and share your story of delayed/terminated NIH grants, choice to leave academia/the U.S., or any other broad govt impact to your work (not NIH specific)

Hey everyone! Have you been impacted by harmful administration policies? Do you have an animal companion?

The language on multiyear funding (MYF) is ineffective.

Final bill anchors MYF to 2025 instead of 2024. This means MYF will likely continue at the same rate we saw last year, where NCI's payline from ~10% to 4%.

This is incredibly harmful to the US research workforce - especially early career.

NIH biomedical research funding.

The final LHHS bill with funding for Health and Human Services is out this morning! At first glance, it looks similar to the Senate bill with a roughly 1% increase in total funding for the NIH. While it doesn't match inflation, it avoids many of the problems in the presidential budget request. 1/n

A Controversial U.S. Study of Hepatitis B Vaccines Will Continue in Africa, HHS says This clinical trial in Guinea-Bissau would withhold vaccination from some babies, sparking ethical concerns

It might not be cancelled, just delayed and protocol revised. www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-co...

When Everything Changes at Once: Making Sense of Institutional Overload NIH Office of Extramural Research is Implementing a Plan for “Administrative Burden Reduction”

Latest post from Dr. Ginexi on NOFO guidance, "reductions in burden," and subsequent confusion at #NIH.

According to Podcast Jay, he can silence anyone or anything as long as he calls it “DEI.”

It’s his magic censorship phrase.

"without fear or favor"
"Public service sometimes requires standing firm in the face of threats".
#standfirm #NIHknows

Interesting to see that the directors of major centers for birth defect prevention and nutrition are out at the CDC right when the Dietary Guidelines toss recs for any refined grains - the only mandatory fortification of folic acid in the food supply that's been wildly successful at reducing NTDs

20 out of 25 CIO director positions at CDC are vacant and filled by actings (or eliminated), just in the past year via CDC Data Project www.cdcdataproject.org/leadership-c...

The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left “We can no longer lend our credibility to an organization that has lost its integrity,” write four scientists and administrators who recently resigned from the NIH.

Open resignation/retirement letter from NIH staff.

"Upholding our oath of office — “to protect and defend the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic” — and living up to our values requires us to leave the jobs we previously cherished."
www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n...