Last week, the President released a budget preview — and it’s bad news. It would cut or change programs people rely on. But we can fight back. Our new guide breaks it down and shows how you can take action: autisticadvocacy.org/2025/05/asan...
Neuro Networks Day is May 16th, designed to celebrate and elevate our vibrant neuroscience community. Art submissions are due Monday May 5, any and all creativity welcomed!
This damage will be irreparable. www.thetransmitter.org/funding/prop...
ASAN, Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, the Autistic People of Color Fund, Autism Society of America, Autism Speaks, The Arc, and others stand united: Autistic people deserve respect, support, and science-based policy, not dangerous disinformation. autisticadvocacy.org/2025/04/lead...
2. Pressure Senate Dems to do maximum obstruction and bring the Senate to a halt
3. Push Chuck Schumer out of leadership for his great failure last week
4. Get on local TV across the country
5. Use social media to talk about the Trump attacks on cancer cures.
There are more. This is a start.
We are NOT saying we’re giving up. There is still time to stop Trump and Musk. But great damage has already been done and the grants program is highly unstable and could collapse if more people leave.
What can we do? Some ideas:
1. Pressure university presidents to speak out
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland 20892 www.nih.gov DATE: March 7, 2025 TO: Office of Extramural Research (OER) Staff FROM: Matthew J. Memoli, M.D., M.S., Acting Director, NIH SUBJECT: Office of Extramural Research Leadership Updates I am writing to inform you of important changes within the Office of Extramural Research (OER) leadership team. Effective Monday, March 10, 2025, I will assume the role of Acting Deputy Director for Extramural Research. To ensure efficient continuity and support of this integral NIH leadership position, Dr. Ray Jacobson, Dr. Tara Schwetz, and Dr. Jon Lorsch have graciously agreed to oversee certain responsibilities. I am delegating authority to them to act on behalf of the Deputy Director for Extramural Research and lead the following areas. Ray Jacobson, Ph.D. Office of eRA Office of Reporting and Analysis Strategic Management and Contracts Review Policy Tara Schw
"Effective March 10th, I will assume the role of Acting Deputy Director of Extramural Research." - Memoli, the Trump-selected NIH acting Director.
This is bad- centralizing control over the grant program. He delegates authority, but it brings grants under closer Trump control.
‘It’s scary right now’: ICE holds detainees for days in bedless Baltimore cells
It’s sad to see faces eaten by leopards, certainly, but it’s also worth remembering that people who believe they are surrounded by “DEI and extreme wokeness” are pretty much by definition the proverbial people trying to push their colleagues out of the pipeline (knowingly and on purpose or not)
How a University Fights an Authoritarian Regime:
By speaking out to the public, especially about NIH and the loss of medical research.
From @chronicle.com yesterday. See thread in quote for more.
BREAKING
NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University says it has expelled or suspended some students who took over a campus building during pro-Palestinian protests last spring, and had temporarily revoked the diplomas of some students who have since graduated.
F-31D applicants who submitted their grant proposals at the Dec 8th deadline have been removed from study sections, again, over the course of the last 48 hours. @altnih4science.bsky.social #NIH
unfortunately, science and medicine will always be political and require active defense.
Anyway, check out @standupforscience.bsky.social to find your local 3/7/25 rally!
Welcome to the Bluesky account for Stand Up for Science 2025!
Keep an eye on this space for updates, event information, and ways to get involved. We can't wait to see everyone #standupforscience2025 on March 7th, both in DC and locations nationwide!
#scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
Wondering if your study section cancelled? I update this sheet daily. As of today, 56/124 study sections that should have met since Jan 2, 2025 have "not met as scheduled." docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
we know that exposure to adversity has a dose-dependent effect on health outcomes and that there are common biological consequences associated with this, including increased risk for psychiatric conditions link.springer.com/article/10.1...
2/
They are not making mental health a research priority out of care for people. They are making it a priority because it is USEFUL to their agenda. Because it gives “evidence” for people being inherently “less than”. This extends to when we talk about our OWN cognition and ability
As brain scientists, it is also imperative for us to be conscious of and work against our internal biases when it comes to cognition and what is “normal” or “proper” cognition. Our science can be easily weaponized, and it will be.
This is a perfect example of how concepts of ability (e.g. IQ) can be used to perpetuate racism in addition to ableism.
We need to be taking ableism more seriously. Historically, it has been used in eugenics as a starting point for sweeping violence and oppression
(please see whole thread)
The thing about destroying NIH is NIH’s scale in medical research just dwarfs everyone else.
For ex, in 2023 the American Cancer Society gave out $64.5 million worth of grants. Sounds big, right?
But NIH’s budget was $49 billion. With a B.
Kill NIH and the floor drops out of US science.
(*ND = neurodivergent, abbr. for space)
and Elon Musty, but that’s a given
this user hates RFK Jr
a meme to interrupt the doom
We @chronicle.com reported on Friday that applications for F31 diversity fellowships had been withdrawn.
Now, multiple scholars tell me their applications have been re-assigned to their original study sections, in a reversal of instructions NIH officials gave reviewers last week. #AcademicSky
Nearly $7 million has been “apportioned” over the past week to cover DOGE-related expenses.
Update: They were removed from our reviewer assignments completely. I'm so sorry to all those graduate students. Anonymous to protect the identity of the NIH employee I spoke to...I am on study section next month to discuss F awards. We were just instructed to put the F31-Diversity applications on the bottom of our priority list for review because there is a chance we may not be able to review them. My heart is breaking for the grad students and their mentors that put so much work into these just for them to be disqualified and thrown out.
Just in case you thought that removing DEI criteria would mean that everyone is competing equally: NIH is removing grad students from underrepresented backgrounds from the applicant pool altogether. Their applications will not be considered. Other students, not from these backgrounds, will be.
thank you! 💜
in that case, is applying under a different opportunity number with relatively the same proposal an option for trainees? is that considered a new submission? thank you so much for spreading the word—this has been a stressful and confusing week
Applicants whose grants were set to be reviewed in study section this month are being “reassigned” this week. There is no reassignment, we are simply no longer assigned to ANY study section. 2/2
