What’s up with Downes?
@gbdownes.bsky.social
2.2K followers 860 following 250 posts
Dad of two, Professor of Biology @UMass, rare disease researcher and advocate, SPINES @MBL director, and runner. I use zebrafish to study the genetic control of locomotion and epilepsy genes. 🧪🧬🧠
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Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
neillewisjr.bsky.social
In the aftermath of a global pandemic, and in the midst of two major public health crises (the ongoing measles and bird flu outbreaks), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announces that it is cutting 20,000 full-time jobs.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...
The Trump administration restructures federal health agencies, cuts 20,000 jobs
The reduction in force comes along with a reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services, consolidating 28 divisions to 15.
www.npr.org
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
rebeccafieldingmiller.com
Today I lost an NIH grant training clinicians to do research about intimate partner violence with perinatal women.

More women are murdered in the perinatal period than die of obstetric complications.

I didn't just lose a grant. We lost an entire cohort of people building careers to prevent that.
gbdownes.bsky.social
Elite universities have totally lost their way. No leadership, no courage, and few protections around scholarship.
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
gbdownes.bsky.social
They have already fired people at the NOAA aquarium.
gbdownes.bsky.social
Very true. This is why we don't use Methylene Blue, especially when performing behavioral analysis.
gbdownes.bsky.social
Big congratulations to Madison Riffe, a spectacular graduate student in my lab! She wrote this review as part of @biologyopen.bsky.social Future Leader Review. Her idea! Madison is looking for a postdoc so reach out if you're interested. Whatever lab she selects will be VERY lucky to land her. (4/4)
gbdownes.bsky.social
If these disorders do constitute a new disease class, it could present an opportunity for understanding them, developing new therapies, and combining patient advocacy efforts. (3/4)
gbdownes.bsky.social
We review the clinical findings of these diseases and the efforts to model them in cells and animal systems, including #zebrafish. (2/4)
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
proflhunter.bsky.social
"This is direct censorship of scientific research.”
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
"In an unprecedented move, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has begun mass terminations of research grants that fund active scientific projects [Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity, and DEI ] because they no longer meet 'agency priorities'..."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants
Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity and DEI in the biomedical workforce could be terminated, according to documents obtained by Nature.
www.nature.com
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
needhibhalla.bsky.social
Hi all, I am in contact with a reporter at Science magazine who would like to talk with a trainee or mentor who successfully applied for an equity/DEI-related NIH training grant or a training supplement but have not received the Notice of Award and probably won't get the grant.
gbdownes.bsky.social
Universities are the target, doesn’t matter if they’re wearing a target or not.
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
christlet.bsky.social
Reminder that @europepmc.org is a mirror of Pubmed with better search and that it indexes *all* bioRxiv preprints (as well as ResearchSquare), not just the ones funded by NIH like chauvinist Pubmed
prasad.bsky.social
I’m very scared to see what happens to PubMed
gbdownes.bsky.social
If you like my comments, don’t forget to like and subscribe.
gbdownes.bsky.social
We don’t wear lab coats very much either, but I’m not about to let this sponsorship opportunity go to waste!
gbdownes.bsky.social
I personally envision our lab coats emblazoned with logos, like a race car driver.
gbdownes.bsky.social
Hope this is real.
altnih4science.bsky.social
This account is for sharing info with US scientists, both extramural and intramural to NIH, about attacks on science in the US.

Education is power, and we can help advocate for science and medicine together. 💪🧪

We are a team of NIH people. Please ask us questions you might have.
gbdownes.bsky.social
Now we get to see which institutions really walk the talk versus those that support diversity only when it’s fashionable. Taking notes.