Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Harsha Thirumurthy @hthirumurthy.bsky.social · Apr 11

Very proud of my brilliant and caring @pennmehp.bsky.social colleague @hollylynchez.bsky.social - she’s on the 2025 STATUS List of 50 influential people shaping the future of health and life sciences!
www.statnews.com/status-list/...

STATUS List | Holly Fernandez Lynch

Holly Fernandez Lynch, a bioethicist and lawyer, studies drug development and what happens when the needs of patients and pharma companies don't align.

www.statnews.com

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Guy Grossman @guygrossman.bsky.social · Apr 2

Across the US, cuts to federal funding for health research are projected to cause losses of $16B and 68k jobs. How will YOUR area be impacted? See SCIMaP, a website that my colleague Emly Falk and her team have created to communicate the impact of funding cuts. Learn and share at scienceimpacts.org

SCIMaP - Impacts of Federal Cuts to Science and Medical Research

Developed by an interdisciplinary research team, this website shows how funding cuts reduce economic activity and employment nationwide

scienceimpacts.org

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Harsha Thirumurthy @hthirumurthy.bsky.social · Apr 1

"China’s finance on a grant-equivalent basis was worth between $5–8 billion, compared to the United States’ roughly $63 billion" www.cgdev.org/blog/chinese...

Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Opportunity for Health @oppforhealthlab.bsky.social · Mar 27

The Blue Zones Project claims to unlock the secrets to longevity, but does its approach hold up to scrutiny?

Dr. Atheendar Venkatarmani isn’t conviced: “I think any new intervention that’s trying to scale and is touted as promising should put it to the test”.

newrepublic.com/article/1883...

The Longevity Hot Spots That Weren’t

Our culture has become obsessed with “blue zones,” where people purportedly live longer. But does the underlying research stand up to scrutiny?

newrepublic.com

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · Apr 1

Hearing from all corners of HHS this morning about a total bloodletting — firings of scientists, analysts and many more as delayed RIFs take effect.

Many folks didn’t see early AM email and showed up, only to be turned away when badges didn’t work. Was sent this photo of long lines at one HHS site.

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Holly Fernandez Lynch @hollylynchez.bsky.social · Mar 31

A perfect take: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/30/o...

"Lawyers and big firms: For God’s sake, stand up for the legal profession, and for the Constitution. Defend the oath you took when you became officers of the court. If we stand together and fight, we will win."

Opinion | For God’s Sake, Fellow Lawyers, Stand Up to Trump

The time has come to defend the oath we took when we became officers of the court.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Steve Joffe @stevejoffe.bsky.social · Mar 29

The Office of Research Integrity within the Dept of Health & Human Services is responsible for integrity of research conducted by, as well as extramural research supported by, HHS.

It's going to be an interesting and challenging few years for ORI.

ori.hhs.gov/about-ori

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Harsha Thirumurthy @hthirumurthy.bsky.social · Mar 28

Everyone should visit pepfar.impactcounter.com
"As of writing this article, over 23,000 adults and more than 2,400 infants would have died, because of the elimination of PEPFAR, according to Nichols’ findings. The numbers are published on a live updating impact tracker."
www.bu.edu/articles/202...

“It’s Unacceptable”: BU Mathematician Tracks How Many Deaths May Result from USAID, Medicaid Cuts

The impact trackers update in real time based on the loss of international aid programs combating HIV and tuberculosis

www.bu.edu

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

PennLDI @pennldi.bsky.social · Mar 27

NEW FINDINGS: Simple visual aids, such as bead-filled bottles, may change attitudes and improve intent to take medication among people with HIV.

Read our research brief here: ldi.upenn.edu/our-work/res...

Visual Tools Improve Understanding of HIV Medication

Bottles filled with beads representing the HIV virus in the body can improve understanding of living with HIV and the intention to take medication.

ldi.upenn.edu

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Mar 27

This is a beautiful paragraph, and essay, from David Remnick in @newyorker.com www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Center for Global Development @cgdev.org · Mar 24

🧵Reviewing a list of canceled USAID contracts, @charlesjkenny.bsky.social & @justsand.bsky.social examine which sectors will be hit hardest.

They estimate that 46-65% of aid for TB could be cut. Learn more ⬇️
www.cgdev.org/blog/new-est...

New Estimates of the USAID Cuts

Last week we presented some estimates of the extent and distribution of cuts to USAID assistance. Since then, a list of active USAID projects has also been leaked. We recalculate our estimates of acti...

www.cgdev.org

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Jen Kates @jenkatesdc.bsky.social · Mar 25

PEPFAR's short-term, one-year reauthorization expires today. Here's why this isn't the biggest threat it's facing (and why the program continues).

Andrew Green @theandrewgreen.bsky.social · Mar 24

PEPFAR's congressional authorization is all but certain to expire tomorrow without renewal. Yet, that is nowhere near the biggest challenge facing a program that has saved 26 million lives: www.devex.com/news/why-pep... w/ insights from
@jenkatesdc.bsky.social and @egpaf.bsky.social

Why PEPFAR has bigger problems than reauthorization

Even if its authorization is allowed to expire tomorrow, PEPFAR will survive. Instead, the program faces a much bigger problem as a result of cuts to USAID, which administered the majority of PEPFAR s...

www.devex.com

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · Mar 25

Call for Nominations: The 2025 Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity

www.mcgill.ca/spgh/about-u...

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · Mar 14

A long time ago my community was under siege & the reaction was to play nice. There were proper ways to channel your concerns & damn it we were nothing if not rule followers. Until Larry Kramer. He urged us to act up, not be polite. I wrote about him this week. 1/ www.thenation.com/article/acti...

We Need to Turn Our Outrage Way Up

This is no time to sit idly by. People’s lives are at stake. We have to put our bodies on the line.

www.thenation.com

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Harsha Thirumurthy @hthirumurthy.bsky.social · Mar 14

Terrible to read about these cuts to global health programs at Johns Hopkins - including programs I've worked with in India. and Uganda. “Stopping funding isn’t going to kill you today, but in six months you’re going to see an impact around the world.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/u...

Federal Cuts Prompt Johns Hopkins to Cut More Than 2,000 Workers

The university, a leader in scientific research, has been hard hit by the Trump administration’s cuts, which will slash at least $800 million from its budget.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

PennLDI @pennldi.bsky.social · Mar 12

How can tax credits, paid leave, and other policies improve population health?

Join us on March 28 for our virtual seminar featuring experts Elizabeth Ananat, Bradley Hardy, Aparna Mathur, and LDI Fellow @atheendar.bsky.social.
ldi.upenn.edu/events/boost...

Boosting Health Through Economic Policy: Tax and Labor Policies to Improve Population Health

Join Penn LDI to explore evidence-based economic policies that foster healthier, more equitable communities.

ldi.upenn.edu

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

TAGHIVscience @taghivscience.bsky.social · Mar 12

A must-watch: Rebecca Denison, founder of Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases (WORLD), delivers the Martin Delaney Presentation at #CROI2025

"40+ Years of #HIV: What’s Changed, What Hasn’t, What Shouldn’t, What Must"

Thanks to IAS-USA for making it publicly available.

40+ Years of HIV: What’s Changed, What Hasn’t, What Shouldn’t, What Must

YouTube video by IAS-USA

youtu.be

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Katherine J. Wu @katherinejwu.com · Mar 7

if you've had an NIH grant terminated, I want to hear about it. Signal: katherinejwu.12

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

KFF @kff.org · Mar 6

On the latest #PxPulse (@hivpxresearch.bsky.social) episode, KFF’s @jenkatesdc.bsky.social discusses American people’s knowledge about and experiences with foreign aid and the impact of President Trump’s foreign aid freeze on global health.

Listen to the full podcast: on.kff.org/41ruHmr

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

NBER @nber.org · Mar 7

Slashing Mexico's landmark conditional cash transfer program caused teenage boys to drop out of school and take up work, from Fernanda Marquez-Padilla, Susan W. Parker, and Tom S. Vogl https://www.nber.org/papers/w33527

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Harsha Thirumurthy @hthirumurthy.bsky.social · Mar 7

Hope to see you at City Hall in Philly today!

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · Mar 7

TODAY IS THE DAY! 🧪☀️⬇️

Join us at the Lincoln Memorial or your local site to Stand Up for Science!

Flyer for stand up for science--more information available at www.standupforscience2025.org

Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Aaron Schwartz @aschwartz.bsky.social · Mar 4

This piece, written by top medical journal editors, shows how the government has obstructed the normal publication process for medical research, slowing scientific progress. Many examples are included.

www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...

Damage Control in the Wake of Political Action That Threatens the Integrity of Medical Research | Annals of Internal Medicine

www.acpjournals.org

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Harsha Thirumurthy @hthirumurthy.bsky.social · Mar 4

Join us at noon tomorrow for a discussion about the implications of rolling back US foreign aid. Registration details below.

Guy Grossman @guygrossman.bsky.social · Mar 3

A reminder that on Wednesday, March 5, at noon ET, @pdri-devlab.bsky.social will be hosting a panel webinar titled "The Suspension of U.S. Foreign Aid and the Future of International Development."

For more details and registration, See pdri-devlab.upenn.edu/event/panel-...

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Dean Yang @deanyang.bsky.social · Mar 3

Cool new paper by @eduardomontero.bsky.social and JD Denton-Schneider...

Eliminating Chagas disease in Brazil raised income by 11%! Larger gains for non-whites, reducing racial inequality. Public health interventions can address both development and inequality...

www.nber.org/papers/w3351...

Disease, Disparities, and Development: Evidence from Chagas Disease Control in Brazil

Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

www.nber.org

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Reposted by Harsha Thirumurthy

Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · Mar 3

SCOOP: The world is likely to see millions more malaria infections and 200,000 cases of paralytic polio each year, according to a whistle-blower from USAID.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/h...

U.S.A.I.D. Memos Detail Human Costs of Cuts to Foreign Aid (Gift Article)

The world is likely to see millions more malaria infections and 200,000 cases of paralytic polio each year, according to an agency whistle-blower.

www.nytimes.com

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