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aniloza.bsky.social
anil oza
@aniloza.bsky.social
4.6K followers 1.5K following 430 posts
science journalist @stat covering health equity, the nih, and interaction btwn science & society | also: npr, nature, sciam, science, science news (he/him) (signal: aniloza.16)
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aniloza.bsky.social
anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · Mar 21
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
Reposted by anil oza
lizneeley.bsky.social
Science friends, this week's briefing is squarely in your wheelhouse.

Please read & share the 🧵. Even better, dig into the briefing unbreaking.org/blog/this-we... & follow the reporters we rely on like @aniloza.bsky.social @maxkozlov.bsky.social @dangaristo.bsky.social @amymaxmen.bsky.social
January 31, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Reposted by anil oza
jonathanwosen.bsky.social
Tenuous funding for biomedical research has some first-year Ph.D. students struggling to find labs -- and questioning their future career plans. My latest for @statnews.com
www.statnews.com/2026/01/30/f...
Tenuous biomedical funding has put first-year Ph.D. students in a bind
First-year biomedical graduate students across the country said labs have been hesitant to take them in due to a tenuous funding environment
www.statnews.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by anil oza
rosebroderick.bsky.social
HHS just added 19 members to the committee that advises Kennedy on autism. As I reported last week, it's heavy on MAHA allies. (Link to new members below.)

www.statnews.com/2026/01/23/k...
Key autism committee is being reshaped to support Kennedy's vaccine agenda, researchers and advocates fear
Researchers and advocates fear a key autism committee is being reshaped to support Kennedy's vaccine agenda.
www.statnews.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by anil oza
helenbranswell.bsky.social
Bill Foege was a public health legend. His loss is profound, particularly at this time. That he died at the end of the week in which the US withdrew from #WHO & the chair of ACIP mused about whether polio & measles vaccination are still needed — no words. www.statnews.com/2026/01/25/w...
Public health giant William Foege, who helped eradicate smallpox, has died at 89
‘I wish we could have spared him from seeing that’: Friends of Bill Foege on his legacy, and his anger over anti-vaccination.
www.statnews.com
January 25, 2026 at 9:28 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
@mmolteni.bsky.social, reporting from Minneapolis at a vigil for Alex Pretti, the VA nurse killed by ICE

"Through layers of bundled down and wool they hugged each other. Beneath ski goggles, tears streamed."

www.statnews.com/2026/01/26/a...
Alex Pretti remembered by health care workers at a Minneapolis vigil as a ‘stand-up guy’
Health care workers brought flowers and wreaths, lit candles, and draped stethoscopes over a wooden cross as a makeshift memorial to nurse Alex Pretti.
www.statnews.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Reposted by anil oza
rosebroderick.bsky.social
News: HHS is stacking a key federal committee on autism with members who align with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism.

The group met Thursday, despite no prior public notice about the gathering.

www.statnews.com/2026/01/23/k...
Key autism committee is being reshaped to support Kennedy's vaccine agenda, researchers and advocates fear
Researchers and advocates fear a key autism committee is being reshaped to support Kennedy's vaccine agenda.
www.statnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by anil oza
usha.bsky.social
Important new story by @aniloza.bsky.social on pulse oximeters and their performance on darker skin. This area continues to frustrate researchers. www.statnews.com/2026/01/12/p...
FDA-funded study of pulse oximeter accuracy yields surprising and confusing results
A long-awaited study commissioned by the FDA has muddied the path forward on how to reduce racial bias in pulse oximeter readings
www.statnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 6:26 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
More news on the NIH front from @mmolteni.bsky.social

NIH advisory committees, which serve as the second stage of review for grants, are operating with quite a few vacancies — threatening the agency's ability to spend its money going forward

www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/n...
Unfilled vacancies have depleted NIH advisory councils, key players in grant approvals
Only one new member was added to NIH advisory councils, which make final recommendations on grant awards, during President Trump's first year
www.statnews.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:24 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
Reading this story reminded me of this story, from 2024, where we interviewed folks from India who had more recent memories of polio (incl @disabilitystor1.bsky.social @madhupai.bsky.social & @bhadeliamd.bsky.social) because the vaccine was available there later

www.statnews.com/2024/12/27/p...
January 22, 2026 at 6:17 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
NCI director Anthony Letai sat down with @angusrohan.bsky.social to talk about the state of the institute

He claimed the NCI is more stable than outsiders think and defended the administration's anti-DEI moves

www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/n...
Anthony Letai says NCI is more stable than perceived and is heading for a big year
Anthony Letai says the National Cancer Institute is more stable than perceived and is heading for a big year.
www.statnews.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:08 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
Congressional appropriators have largely pushed back on Trump's proposals for the NIH:

-Slight budget increase
-No changes to indirect cost payments
-Limits use of multiyear funding to FY25 levels (NOT FY24)

From @jonathanwosen.bsky.social & I

www.statnews.com/2026/01/20/n...
House and Senate appropriators endorse NIH budget increase, reject Trump’s proposed cuts
Congressional appropriations committees offered a near-total rebuke of President Trump’s proposed downsizing and reshaping of the NIH
www.statnews.com
January 20, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by anil oza
jonathanwosen.bsky.social
House and Senate appropriators endorse NIH budget increase, reject Trump’s proposed cuts, @aniloza.bsky.social and I write for @statnews.com
www.statnews.com/2026/01/20/n...
House and Senate appropriators endorse NIH budget increase, reject Trump’s proposed cuts
Congressional appropriations committees offered a near-total rebuke of President Trump’s proposed downsizing and reshaping of the NIH
www.statnews.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by anil oza
bmaher.bsky.social
When US officials announced earlier this month that they were cutting down the childhood vaccination schedule, physicians and scientists wondered what to expect.
Japan has some hard-won wisdom to offer.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What happens if fewer children get vaccinated? Japan holds lessons for US
As Robert F. Kennedy Jr slashes the US childhood vaccine roster, Japan is racing to make up for lost ground after decades of setbacks.
www.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:24 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
Pre-long weekend story:

Multiyear funding for NIH grants has become a sticking point in negotiating HHS’s appropriations package for 2026

www.statnews.com/2026/01/16/n...
Limit on multiyear funding of NIH grants is a sticking point in Senate budget talks
A clause limiting the use of multiyear NIH grant funding has become a sticking point as the Senate appropriations panel finalizes the HHS spending bill
www.statnews.com
January 17, 2026 at 12:02 AM
aniloza.bsky.social
Piece by Jay Bhattacharya, Jeffrey Taubenberger, & John H. Powers on a new vision for NIAID

Wants to refocus on "The most impactful infectious diseases that Americans currently face" & "immunology and allergic and autoimmune diseases to improve patient outcomes"

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The new vision from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) - Nature Medicine
Preparing for tomorrow’s threats by enhancing our ability to help patients today.
www.nature.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by anil oza
melodyschreiber.com
BREAKING: The controversial hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau has been *cancelled,* I can now report. A senior official with Africa CDC confirmed the cancellation and said GB officials are working to make sure any research is conducted ethically:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Controversial US study on hepatitis B vaccines in Africa is cancelled
$1.6m project drew outrage over ethical questions about withholding vaccines proven to prevent disease
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by anil oza
naomioreskes.bsky.social
New Pew Study on Trust in Science. Short answer: about the same as its been, with a bit of extra concern among Democrats about scientific leadership, clearly based on recent events.
www.statnews.com/2026/01/15/a...
Democrats say America’s role as a scientific leader is slipping, while Republicans remain unworried
Among Americans, trust in science increased slightly between 2024 and 2025, according to a new Pew Research poll.
www.statnews.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:12 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
Pew's first survey on trust in science under Trump's second term was published today

Democrats are worried about the US's role as a scientific leader. Republicans—not so much

www.statnews.com/2026/01/15/a...
Democrats say America’s role as a scientific leader is slipping, while Republicans remain unworried
Among Americans, trust in science increased slightly between 2024 and 2025, according to a new Pew Research poll.
www.statnews.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by anil oza
philipncohen.com
In @statnews.com , @aniloza.bsky.social covered today's new Pew survey on attitudes toward science. I said: "Every university researcher in particular relies on the public to do our work, and we all have to contribute to building the public's trust."
www.statnews.com/2026/01/15/a...
But, scientists should do more to foster trust with the public, said Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland who recently published a paper on the "widening political divide over science." "What Trump, Kennedy, and the anti-science movement are doing is not our fault, but we have work to do. Every university researcher in particular relies on the public to do our work, and we all have to contribute to building the public's trust," he said. "We do that in everyday interactions, in speaking and writing about our work wherever it's needed, and being part of the public debate on these issues. A lot of researchers don't want to get involved, or they think it undermines their credibility to speak out on public issues, but the opposite is true. We no longer have a choice."
January 15, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by anil oza
jasonukman.bsky.social
Democrats say America’s role as a scientific leader is slipping, while Republicans remain unworried. Via @aniloza.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2026/01/15/a...
Democrats say America’s role as a scientific leader is slipping, while Republicans remain unworried
Among Americans, trust in science increased slightly between 2024 and 2025, according to a new Pew Research poll.
www.statnews.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:05 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
We wrote about a study on pulse ox bias that yielded some confusing results earlier this week

A new, similar, study published yesterday in the UK lines up more neatly with previous results h/t @iwashyna.bsky.social

www.bmj.com/content/392/...
January 15, 2026 at 3:00 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
Nicole Kleinstreuer has been named deputy director at NIH (shes been acting in that capacity for some months)

@saratalpos.bsky.social talked w/ her abt alternatives to animal models in Oct for @statnews.com

www.statnews.com/2025/10/03/a...
She’s leading NIH’s push to reduce the use of animals in biomedical research
Nicole Kleinstreuer, who is leading an NIH effort to reduce the use of animals in research, began thinking about the issue as a toxicologist at the EPA
www.statnews.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:31 PM
aniloza.bsky.social
A long awaited study on pulse oximeter bias didn't yield the answers researchers hoped

“We got a very clear signal that we do not adequately understand pulse oximeter performances in sick patients" - @iwashyna.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2026/01/12/p...
FDA-funded study of pulse oximeter accuracy yields surprising and confusing results
A long-awaited study commissioned by the FDA has muddied the path forward on how to reduce racial bias in pulse oximeter readings
www.statnews.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by anil oza
iwashyna.bsky.social
“There were a lot of questions still unanswered, and we’re hoping to follow up with some additional studies,” Lipnick said, adding that there were no funding opportunities from the FDA for additional studies. ”The door was not open to try and continue,”

www.statnews.com/2026/01/12/p...
FDA-funded study of pulse oximeter accuracy yields surprising and confusing results
A long-awaited study commissioned by the FDA has muddied the path forward on how to reduce racial bias in pulse oximeter readings
www.statnews.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Reposted by anil oza
jasonukman.bsky.social
Rick Pazdur, very briefly and until recently the FDA's top drug regulator, rang the alarm about political influence at the agency at a @statnews.com event.

At the end, he quipped: "I hope the IRS doesn’t come and audit me now.”

www.statnews.com/2026/01/13/r...
Pazdur warns that politics, ‘chaos’ are damaging FDA
At a STAT event, veteran drug regulator Richard Pazdur, who left the FDA last month after 26 years, said that politics and 'chaos' were damaging the agency.
www.statnews.com
January 13, 2026 at 1:37 PM