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Karen Fowler

@fowlerkarenb

Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist focusing on maternal & congenital CMV infections & CMV-related hearing loss. Opinions are my own. Professor in Pediatric ID at UAB. Interests: Congenital CMV prevention, CMV-related hearing loss, Women in Science

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Latest posts by Karen Fowler @fowlerkarenb

Kennedy and OMB Director Vought have wreaked destruction on US scientific and medical research.

08.03.2026 19:11 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I’m standing with and praying for the people of Minneapolis. #StandWithMinneapolis #AbolishICE

24.01.2026 18:23 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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CDC reports that as of December 23, 2025, a total of 2,012 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States. Among these, 1,988 measles cases were reported by 44 jurisdictions. Time to share this K-12 checklist with schools. Download here: www.cdc.gov/measles/down...

31.12.2025 14:40 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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βš›οΈWELCOME TO SCIENCE & HEALTH MONDAYSβš›οΈ
πŸ§’Children & SNAP
❀️‍πŸ”₯SNAP: medicine for food insecurity
βœ‚οΈCutting SNAP means empty refrigerators & lunch bags, skipped meds & parents going w/out meals so kids can eat
πŸ₯ͺKeeping children well fed is 1️⃣ impt step in keeping them healthy
www.facebook.com/share/v/1AWb...

09.11.2025 14:04 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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1/3βš›οΈWELCOME TO SCIENCE & HEALTH MONDAYSβš›οΈ
πŸ‘©β€βš•οΈWe will be giving you short, vetted, science-based content every Monday
πŸ€”Most people do not realize it, approximately one in 1,000 children in the US develop chronic arthritis (>6 weeks).
😟Arthritis (inflammation of a joint or joints) can occur at any age

25.10.2025 17:10 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
White words on a black background read:

50+ 
Immigration agents have the authority to detain whom they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally. We found more than 50 Americans who were held after agents questioned their citizenship. They were almost all Latino.

~130
Agents also can arrest citizens who allegedly interfered with or assaulted officers. We compiled cases of about 130 Americans, including a dozen elected officials, accused of assaulting or impeding officers. 

~20
Among the citizens detained are nearly 20 children, including two with cancer.

White words on a black background read: 50+ Immigration agents have the authority to detain whom they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally. We found more than 50 Americans who were held after agents questioned their citizenship. They were almost all Latino. ~130 Agents also can arrest citizens who allegedly interfered with or assaulted officers. We compiled cases of about 130 Americans, including a dozen elected officials, accused of assaulting or impeding officers. ~20 Among the citizens detained are nearly 20 children, including two with cancer.

Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.

I did it because the government isn’t.

This is what I found.

18.10.2025 14:11 πŸ‘ 17272 πŸ” 8049 πŸ’¬ 302 πŸ“Œ 242
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'We've got to do something:' Thousands attend 'No Kings' protests in Alabama | Alabama Reflector Thousands of Alabamians participated in the protests against President Donald Trump, part of national demonstrations that drew millions.

Thousands of people attended 'No Kings' demonstrations on Saturday in protest of the policies of President Donald Trump. Participants criticized everything from Trump's consolidation of power to his immigration policies to congressional apathy toward him. Here are reports from four protests.

18.10.2025 22:04 πŸ‘ 450 πŸ” 102 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 4
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So no terrorism then?

18.10.2025 20:26 πŸ‘ 43111 πŸ” 10261 πŸ’¬ 877 πŸ“Œ 498
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When the Birmingham, Alabama, march is packed, you know something is up in America!

18.10.2025 17:30 πŸ‘ 26099 πŸ” 5853 πŸ’¬ 408 πŸ“Œ 236
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#NoKings Birmingham, AL

18.10.2025 21:08 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Plain language summary about misconceptions about COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

07.08.2025 16:29 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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'It's a huge deal': This Trump move sets up showdown with 14 GOP senators President Donald Trump's administration has imposed a complete block on funding that goes to external health researchers β€” cutting off billions of dollars intended for studies on diabetes, cancer, and numerous other illnesses, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The report noted that this suspension was inserted as a footnote by the Office of Management and Budget, under Director Russell Vought, in the official funding document for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The footnote specified that for the remainder of the fiscal year, NIH financial resources could only be used for staff salaries and operational expenses, and would not support any new grants or renewal of existing ones. Since most NIH-supported research is conducted by outside scientists, this move effectively freezes a large portion of its grant program. READ MORE: State elections chief shuts down Trump's demand for voter data with brutal 7-word response The restriction halts approximately $15 billion in NIH funding, based on an estimate from Sen. Patty Murray’s (D-Wash.) office. β€œThis outrageous decision to prevent NIH from spending the funding that Congress has explicitly provided for medical research must immediately be reversedβ€”life‑changing cures and patients’ prognoses hang in the balance,” Murray told The Journal. Former NIH institute director Jeremy Berg said: β€œIt’s a huge deal… I can’t imagine any reasonable rationale for doing this other than the desire to do damage to NIH and biomedical research.” According to the report, the NIH leadership is actively working to remove or modify the footnote restriction, according to internal communications reviewed by the publication. READ MORE: 'I thought consumers weren't paying?' MAGA rips Josh Hawley over 'out of touch' proposal The funding pause is said to have triggered growing friction with members of Congress, many of whom have raised alarms over the slowdown in medical research support. Last week, over a dozen Senate Republicans signed a letter urging President Donald Trump’s administration to release NIH research grants that their states depend on for advances against fatal diseases. A group of 14 senators, as reported by Politico, formally addressed OMB Director Russell Vought, requesting he lift the hold on NIH grant funding. The letter, primarily authored by Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), noted that Congress had already approved the funding, and stressed that the administration’s decision to withhold it amounts to an illegal action. READ MORE: 'Moving to Texas is over': Podcasters who followed to Joe Rogan to Austin rail against state
30.07.2025 01:26 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

If you wanna check in on the nation's cancer researchers, we're doin' bad. Real bad. No single post/article fully captures the depth and breadth of it.
We may be the first to feel this, but every single person in the country will feel it eventually.
Cancer. Does. Not. Discriminate.

24.07.2025 17:25 πŸ‘ 55 πŸ” 34 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Not sorry for them. Take off the masks and quit acting like criminal thugs. There are other jobs.

11.07.2025 01:29 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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In the face of anti-science politics, silence is not without cost More scientific leaders need to speak out about anti-science agendas and threats to academic freedom across the world.

πŸ§ͺSilence is not an option. Scientistic societies and leaders MUST stand up & speak out against the ongoing unprecedented attack on science in the US #resist www.nature.com/articles/d41...

27.06.2025 11:14 πŸ‘ 88 πŸ” 36 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 4
PIDS Statement on Federal COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance for Children – Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society

PIDS has issued a statement on the recently released federal guidance regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and its application in children.
pids.org/2025/06/05/p...

05.06.2025 21:20 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Law enforcement officers should never cover their faces when making arrests or conceal their identities (unless they are working undercover). They work for us. We have a right to know who they are. These face coverings are frightening & unAmerican, as though they're ashamed of what they're doing.

02.06.2025 01:50 πŸ‘ 30491 πŸ” 7935 πŸ’¬ 1252 πŸ“Œ 418
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Brain Chats is every first Saturday at 11 AM at Avondale Library. June 7, Dr. Andrew Hardaway will discuss "GLP-1 Medicines: Myths, Truths, and a Tale of Basic Science." Don't miss this opportunity to discuss the fascinating science behind new weight loss drugs with @andrewhardaway.bsky.social

28.05.2025 03:44 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 3
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SA universities face funding crisis as US federal agencies freeze research grants | News24 An investigation into the impact of the US aid freeze on research funding to South African universities has found that 44 programmes worth R2.5 billion were affected.

A not very happy Friday. CERI had 6 NIH grants canceled, which will impact operations, surveillance and response to epidemics. We are working to try to minimize disturbance but not easy with 6 grants terminated at the same moment. A crisis is unfolding in SA www.news24.com/southafrica/...

23.05.2025 05:29 πŸ‘ 88 πŸ” 50 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 5
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On consecutive Mondays, the presidential administration welcomed white Afrikaners as refugees and began investigating Chicago's mayor for hiring too many African Americans.

This administration is aggressively pursuing an agenda of white supremacy and we'd be foolish to pretend otherwise.

20.05.2025 22:41 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Most Americans use federal science information on a weekly basis, a new poll finds Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.

Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.

06.05.2025 10:46 πŸ‘ 11872 πŸ” 3647 πŸ’¬ 681 πŸ“Œ 519
Support and Protect EHDI <p>EHDI staffing and funding is currently under pressure. It is essential that newborn hearing screening and state programs that support early detection and intervention are fully funded and staffed t...

I have spent many years studying congenital CMV, a leading cause of permanent hearing loss in children. With the loss of the EHDI programs, many of these children will be missed and not receive critical services to mitigate their hearing loss.
Our children deserve better
ujoin.co/campaigns/37...

23.04.2025 10:42 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Please read this.

07.04.2025 23:26 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

It's simple. Everyone in the US enjoys the protections of the Constitution - even visitors. So if someone commits a crime here, you give them due process here. You charge them here, try them here, and sentence them here. You don't deport them to an offshore torture prison.

29.03.2025 17:20 πŸ‘ 32498 πŸ” 8760 πŸ’¬ 857 πŸ“Œ 330
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Since DEI, racial justice, antiracism, and the like are getting outlawed at the federal level and in several states as well, it's time to get a refresher on some of these "illegal" terms and concepts.

29.03.2025 00:31 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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The NIH’s Most Reckless Cuts Yet Ending clinical trials with no warning can put patients at risk.

The Trump administration has halted hundreds of NIH-funded research projects, including over 100 clinical trials. Experts warn this could jeopardize patient care and vital research on HIV, cancer, and mental health, particularly impacting LGBTQ health studies and eroding public trust in science.

28.03.2025 11:39 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
BREAKING | A UA student was reportedly detained by the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement early Tuesday morning. 
Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student from Iran studying mechanical engineering, was reportedly arrested by ICE officers at around 5 a.m. at his home on Tuesday.

BREAKING | A UA student was reportedly detained by the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement early Tuesday morning. Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student from Iran studying mechanical engineering, was reportedly arrested by ICE officers at around 5 a.m. at his home on Tuesday.

thecrimsonwhite.com/120415/news/...

26.03.2025 22:48 πŸ‘ 71 πŸ” 38 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 7
graph showing publication of NIH funded publications, relative to other funders. China is catching up.

graph showing publication of NIH funded publications, relative to other funders. China is catching up.

NIH spending more than pays for itself. It generates about $2.5 for every $1 spent. In terms of research productivity, NIH funding dwarfs the rest of the world. The only long-term potential rival is China. Politicizing the NIH's scientific processes will hand China a huge strategic advantage.

20.03.2025 13:11 πŸ‘ 814 πŸ” 329 πŸ’¬ 13 πŸ“Œ 19
graph of NIH basisfor new drugs

graph of NIH basisfor new drugs

A pie graph worth keeping in mind as the NIH budget plummets jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... for 356 new FDA drugs approved

23.03.2025 16:17 πŸ‘ 4029 πŸ” 1647 πŸ’¬ 60 πŸ“Œ 85

Last Friday, 1,000 more NIH biomedical research projects were defunded with no notice

Here’s a word cloud of canceled grants, based on their titles

23.03.2025 22:53 πŸ‘ 340 πŸ” 161 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 6