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Amanda M. Simanek (she/her) @msimanek.bsky.social · Jul 7

Join me for the ASTHO INSPIRE: Readiness Webinar - Communicating About Data and Surveillance During Infectious Disease Emergencies, where I will share @thosenerdygirls.bsky.social public health comms tips. For more info, check out Public Health Review morning edition: share.google/czPmXOisOITj....

941: Integration of AI, Effective Public Health Comms

Dr. Jay Varma, physician and epidemiologist with the Community Healthcare Network, describes the importance of embracing new AI technologies in public health; Dr. A…

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 25

Just in: NIH staff have been instructed to REINSTATE these ~900 grants to comply with the court order, per sources. This comes after staff were also directed to cease any further terminations.

You can see the lists grants to be reinstated in my post below.

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 18

The judge intends to limit his order to universities in the plaintiff states (CA, MD, WA, AZ, CO, DE, HI, MA, MN, NV, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, WI), members of the plaintiff orgs (APHA, UAW), and the researchers named directly, he said today.

His written opinion will come in the coming days.

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 16

🚨 BREAKING: Nearly 4 months the NIH cut its first grants, a judge has ruled that the directives and process that led to cuts are arbitrary and capricious.

"The explanations are bereft of reasoning — virtually in their entirety... unsupported by [facts]."

Each of them are VOID and ILLEGAL, he says.

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STAT @statnews.com · Jun 16

A federal judge ruled that some of the grant terminations by the National Institutes of Health on DEI grounds are “void and illegal.”
www.statnews.com/2025/06/16/n...

Hundreds of NIH grant terminations are 'void and illegal,' federal judge rules

A federal judge ruled that some of the grant terminations by the National Institutes of Health on DEI grounds are “void and illegal.”

www.statnews.com

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

Annie Waldman @anniewaldman.bsky.social · Jun 16

In a swift response to this morning's hearing, District Court Judge William G. Young has just ruled that the directives that led to 100s of grant terminations at the NIH are arbitrary and capricious.

The directives + subsequent terminations are illegal, he said.

"They are of no force and effect."

Annie Waldman @anniewaldman.bsky.social · Jun 16

Happening this morning: A key hearing in the cases challenging the NIH grant terminations.

Plaintiffs, including multiple state AGs + researchers, are requesting an injunction to reverse the terminations.

Our reporting has tracked what's at stake: projects.propublica.org/nih-cuts-res...

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · Jun 16

BREAKING: A federal judge in Massachusetts (the Reagan-appointed William Young) has declared the Trump administration's cuts to NIH grants — ostensibly over Trump's EOs on gender ideology and DEI — are "illegal" and "void." He's ordering many grants restored.

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Nora Becker @norabeckermd.bsky.social · May 16

Are you a researcher with an AHRQ grant that has been disrupted? This includes terminated grants and grants that have been submitted but not reviewed/scored/funded as would normally be expected.

If so, AcademyHealth is collecting these stories and wants to hear from you. DM me and I’ll connect you.

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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · May 21

What do we know about the safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines? Lots. @jonathanwosen.bsky.social explains.
www.statnews.com/2025/05/21/m...

How do we know mRNA vaccines are safe and effective? An explainer

This week, mRNA vaccines are set to face intense scrutiny from critics in Congress. Here's an explainer of how we know they are safe and effective.

www.statnews.com

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

Mary C. Murphy @marycmurphy.bsky.social · May 7

us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Webinar on Responding to NSF Grant Terminations. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

Join the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS) on Friday, May 9th, at 2:00 PM ET for an informative webinar on responding to NSF grant terminations. We will discuss the r...

us02web.zoom.us

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · Apr 25

#CDC reports that as of 4/24, there have been 884 confirmed measles cases so far this year, up from 800 last week.
That total, accumulated in less than 4 months, is 69% of the total seen in 2019, the worst year since measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

Those Nerdy Girls @thosenerdygirls.bsky.social · Apr 25

Cases of #WhoopingCough are up.

So far in 2025, there have been over 4 times as many cases of whooping cough compared to this time last year. Now is a good time to make sure you are up-to-date on this vaccine.
Read the full post by @msimanek.bsky.social here:

thosenerdygirls.org/whooping-cou...

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

Noam Ross @noamross.net · Apr 19

🚨Report your NSF grant terminations! 🚨

We are starting to collect information on NSF grant terminations to create a shared resource as we have for NIH. The more information we collect, the more we can organize, advocate, and fight back! Please share widely!

airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...

NSF Grant Termination Information Collection Form

Please use this form to submit information identifying specific NSF grants that have been cancelled for any reason after January 20, 2025.

We are tracking these grants to increase transparency, organize affected PIs, and facilitate responses, including via litigation. Please share the form as widely as possible with your networks.

We are actively building a pipeline to organize these terminations and will soon have a tracker akin to our NIH grant tracker at https://airtable.com/appjhyo9NTvJLocRy/shrNto1NNp9eJlgpA

WE WILL NOT DISCLOSE THE IDENTITY OF ANYONE WHO USES THIS FORM TO PROVIDE INFORMATION. We will keep your identity confidential.

These resources are maintained by Noam Ross of rOpenSci and Scott Delaney of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with input and support from additional volunteers. For any questions, please contact Scott Delaney on Signal (sdelaney.84).

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE!

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Those Nerdy Girls @thosenerdygirls.bsky.social · Mar 26

Nerdy Girls presenting at #IDLabCon. @aphl.org
@msimanek.bsky.social

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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · Mar 28

It's only the end of March but already 2025 has logged more #measles cases than all but 2 other years since the US achieved measles elimination status in 2000.
#CDC reported there'd been 483 confirmed cases in 19 states as of 3/27. Likely out of date, with TX reporting Friday its count has hit 400

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

ICPSR @icpsr.bsky.social · Mar 24

Learn five key points about the data rescue efforts by ICPSR at myumi.ch/61dRE

#ICPSR #Data #Research

Image showing the homepage of DataLumos, above text that reads "datalumos.org" and a message stating, "Since 2017, the DataLumos archive at ICPSR has grown from 103 to over 450 datasets, safeguarding vital government data for future access." The DataLumos and ICPSR logos are also displayed at the bottom of the image.

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Those Nerdy Girls @thosenerdygirls.bsky.social · Mar 23

1/ We are thrilled to announce that Nerdy Girls Dr. Amanda Simanek @msimanek.bsky.social, Dr. Roopa Seshadri, and Gayle Mendoza, MPH, BSN, RN will be presenting at the national annual meeting of the Association of Public Health Laboratories on March 25!

#publichealth

APHL @aphl.org · Mar 3

Get ready for an engaging session at #IDLabCon with Those Nerdy Girls! Join us as they break down the latest in infectious disease communication and combating misinformation. Don’t miss this must-attend session in Pasadena in March!

Register now: buff.ly/4ihy8CX

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

WHO @who.int · Mar 14

If you don’t get your child vaccinated against measles, it can put them at a high risk of this serious infection, which can lead to severe complications or even death.

Make sure your child’s measles vaccination is up to date.

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Amanda M. Simanek (she/her) @msimanek.bsky.social · Mar 11

Looking forward to presenting at #IDLabCon with some other @thosenerdygirls.bsky.social in 2 weeks! We will cover:

Why scicomm is necessary
How we became scicommers
Ways you can too

Thanks @aphl.org!

APHL @aphl.org · Mar 3

Get ready for an engaging session at #IDLabCon with Those Nerdy Girls! Join us as they break down the latest in infectious disease communication and combating misinformation. Don’t miss this must-attend session in Pasadena in March!

Register now: buff.ly/4ihy8CX

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · Feb 28

Breaking: RFK Jr. moves to quietly eliminate public comment from HHS's decision making: www.statnews.com/2025/02/28/r...

RFK Jr. moves to eliminate public comment in HHS decisions

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moved to rescind the longtime practice of giving the public a chance to comment on the health agency’s plans.

www.statnews.com

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IDPH | Illinois Department of Public Health @idph.bsky.social · Feb 27

Measles is serious and extremely contagious. So contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.

The good news: It's preventable. The MMR shot is safe, effective, and your best protection against measles.

NBC News @nbcnews.com · Feb 26

BREAKING: A school-age child has died of measles in West Texas, the first death from the disease in a decade in the United States. nbcnews.app.link/paXT0Dg4iRb

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Reposted by Amanda M. Simanek (she/her)

Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · Feb 26

BREAKING:
The NIH summer internship program (SIP) has been officially cancelled, across all institutes.

It’s a sad loss for the brightest science students in America, for American science, and for future cures for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. 🧪 1/

Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · Feb 24

NIDA has announced it, but all the NIH summer internship programs are likely cancelled.

Sorry college students interested in STEM jobs, sorry high school students looking at science 🧪 careers. Trump and Musk are cancelling your futures.

Erika Crable, PhD @erikacrable.bsky.social · Feb 24

Another loss for #science & the next generation of researchers. The 28-year running NIDA summer internship program is cancelled for this year.
@altnih4science.bsky.social #SavetheNIH

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Jeremy Faust, MD @jeremyfaust.bsky.social · Feb 26

I believe we have breaking news in Inside Medicine.

I spoke to a member of the FDA vaccine committee who confirmed that the meeting to decide the 2025-2026 flu shot composition was abruptly canceled today.

My on-the-record Q&A with the FDA advisor:
insidemedicine.substack.com/p/scoop-fda-...

Scoop: FDA vaccine meeting abruptly canceled. Meeting was to determine 2025-2026 influenza vaccine composition.

Hi everyone,

open.substack.com

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Caitlin Rivers @cmyeaton.bsky.social · Feb 27

Just yesterday while on PBS News Hour I said that I will have confidence that federal vaccine policy is uncompromised as long as the external advisory committees continue to meet. Now meetings for both VRBPAC and ACIP have been cancelled. I don't like this.

Caitlin Rivers @cmyeaton.bsky.social · Feb 26

I joined PBS News Hour to discuss the measles outbreak in Texas and vaccine hesitancy. My comments build on a point I made in a NYT essay: vaccine hesitancy and resulting outbreaks are a serious problem. But we should also remember that vaccines are popular, actually! www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

West Texas measles outbreak spreads amid vaccine hesitancy in some communities

There are now more than 120 confirmed measles cases linked to an outbreak in western Texas, the largest such outbreak the state has seen in over 30 years. It's raising questions about vaccine hesitanc...

www.pbs.org

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Nature @nature.com · Feb 20

Almost all grant-review meetings under Trump 2.0 remain suspended at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), preventing the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research from spending much of its US$47 billion annual budget.

https://go.nature.com/4gM6oW4

Revealed: NIH research grants still frozen despite lawsuits challenging Trump order

The Trump administration is exploiting a loophole to keep a funding freeze in place, leaving researchers in limbo.

go.nature.com

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Jason L. Schwartz @jasonlschwartz.bsky.social · Feb 20

If people are interested in learning about the ACIP and its decades of contributions to US vaccine policy successes, here’s a short 2014 piece I wrote in NEJM with Adel Mahmoud (timed with its 50th anniversary) www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

A Half-Century of Prevention — The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices | NEJM

In 1964, after a vaccination program against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis began, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was created to advise the U.S. government on vaccinati...

www.nejm.org

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Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social · Feb 20

I’m resubmitting a scientific grant where there’s no one permitted to review it, to an institute that probably won’t exist.

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