Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 23h

Looking forward to unpacking These Times with such a great panel on Thursday 🫡

If you 🫵 are in Boston, please come hang out and be part of the conversation!

Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · 1d

My first post as head of KSJ! Our first public event. This Thursday. Cambridge. Science journalism in a time of crisis. It's going to be 🔥. Join me and @katherinejwu.com @aniloza.bsky.social @sarareardon.bsky.social @akuchment.bsky.social @jeremyfaust.bsky.social and @edenmedina.bsky.social

A flyer showing speakers and describing a panel discussion "Confronting Crisis" to be held 10.9.25 from 4:15-6:15 at 101 Rogers Street in Cambridge.

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · 1d

My first post as head of KSJ! Our first public event. This Thursday. Cambridge. Science journalism in a time of crisis. It's going to be 🔥. Join me and @katherinejwu.com @aniloza.bsky.social @sarareardon.bsky.social @akuchment.bsky.social @jeremyfaust.bsky.social and @edenmedina.bsky.social

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · 2d

Had an amazing time at the incredible NMF gala with absolute legends @mclemoremr.bsky.social @ucheblackstockmd.bsky.social @joelbervell.bsky.social Aletha Maybank Nick St. Fleur Micheleen Davis and fellow awardee Toyin Ajayi. So inspired by your work. Thank you for recognizing mine. ♥️

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · 4d

I'm truly humbled to be honored tonight by @nmfonline.bsky.social with the Truth to Power Award for amplifying marginalized voices and exposing inequality through storytelling. Other incredible honorees include @richbesser.bsky.social @jbetancourtpr.bsky.social and -- not lying -- Ben Vereen.

Front of New York's plaza hotel -- lit up for the evening.

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Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

Rachel Issaka, MD, MAS @issakamd.bsky.social · Aug 1

Thank you @usha.bsky.social & colleagues at @statnews.com for always speaking truth to power! ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

Terminating or not funding health disparities research is not the path to making Americans healthier.

Denying scientists funding by terminating grants or opportunities does not make it a meritocracy.

Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Aug 1

NEW: Massive and confusing inconsistencies at NIH. New director says health disparities research is critical yet grants are being cut left and right. With @aniloza.bsky.social and @ericboodman.bsky.social. (Also my last story for STAT. 😢) www.statnews.com/2025/08/01/n...

Jay Bhattacharya once studied health disparities. As NIH director, he’s allowed such research to wither

Jay Bhattacharya’s tenure as NIH director has seen health disparities research swept up in the Trump administration’s attack on DEI

www.statnews.com

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Aug 1

Thanks Jeremy. We felt this important to document.

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Aug 1

Incredibly well reported deep dive on NIH and health disparities research in STAT. 🧵

www.statnews.com/2025/08/01/n...

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Jay Bhattacharya once studied health disparities. As NIH director, he’s allowed such research to wither

Jay Bhattacharya’s tenure as NIH director has seen health disparities research swept up in the Trump administration’s attack on DEI

www.statnews.com

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Aug 1

NEW: Massive and confusing inconsistencies at NIH. New director says health disparities research is critical yet grants are being cut left and right. With @aniloza.bsky.social and @ericboodman.bsky.social. (Also my last story for STAT. 😢) www.statnews.com/2025/08/01/n...

Jay Bhattacharya once studied health disparities. As NIH director, he’s allowed such research to wither

Jay Bhattacharya’s tenure as NIH director has seen health disparities research swept up in the Trump administration’s attack on DEI

www.statnews.com

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Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

Black In Biophysics @blackinbiophys.bsky.social · Jun 19

Congratulations to all the amazing scientists named 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholars by @hhmi.org! We’re proud to have to #BlackInBiophysics faculty members, @doctheagrif.bsky.social and @cobarnes27.bsky.social among this outstanding group. We wish you the best in this next stage of your careers! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

The 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholars | HHMI

Freeman Hrabowski Scholars are outstanding early career faculty who have the potential to become leaders in their research fields.

www.hhmi.org

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Jun 18

Important story: Native American longevity rates even lower than previously thoughts because their race is often recorded wrong on death certificates. Story by new STAT intern Marissa Russo. www.statnews.com/2025/06/18/l...

Why a lot of Native American deaths are not counted

Native American deaths are significantly undercounted because of errors in death certificates, a new study claims.

www.statnews.com

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Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · Jun 17

Please, please, please give money to @thecity.nyc You saw @gwynnefitz.bsky.social's video of Lander's arrest today.

I'll say it: @thecity.nyc is very poor. The staff is working on measly salaries. You can count on Gwynne to cover ICE and all of the protests. They need help to keep going.

Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · Jun 11

If you value @thecity.nyc's local reporting in this crazy time, please consider donating and signing up for our newsletter. You all keep us going.

donorbox.org/cityspring20....

Spring Campaign 2025 | thecity.nyc (Powered by Donorbox)

THE CITY is here for you. Be here for us too. We cover New York's uncovered neighborhoods, hold the powerful to account, and make sense of the greatest city in the world. Your support today will help ...

donorbox.org

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Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · Jun 17

⚡️👀MEMPHIS: “The @NAACP filed an intent to sue Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI over concerns about air pollution generated by a supercomputer located near predominantly Black communities.”
www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...

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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · Jun 17

Reading these quotes from Judge Young is just so satisfying. They validate what so many of us have been saying inside #NIH.

He called it “palpably clear” that what was behind the government actions was “racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community.”

Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Jun 16

“I have never seen racial discrimination by the government like this” in 40 years on the bench, says Reagan-appointed judge (to gasps in the courtroom) as he calls NIH grant terminations "void and illegal." Story by @aniloza.bsky.social 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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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Jun 17

Things at CDC really mind-boggling. Of course STAT's @helenbranswell.bsky.social is on the case. www.statnews.com/2025/06/17/c...

CDC interim leaders, in first all-hands meeting, speak of 'myth-busting' and 'resilience'

The interim leadership of the CDC held its first all-hands meeting of the Trump administration, and STAT listened in.

www.statnews.com

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Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

Evan Greer @evangreer.bsky.social · Jun 16

The Minnesota shooter apparently used data broker websites to find the home addresses of the people he shot and murdered.

Congress has had years to do something about data brokers and they've sided with the tech lobby over and over again.

Their inaction is deadly.

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Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 16

In an email to staff, NIH deputy director Matt Memoli says: "It has come to our attention that some staff are giving guidance... that the word 'diversity' may not be used in any context."

"Obviously this is bad guidance... Please ask your staff to use common sense when implementing NIH priorities."

Subject: From the NIH Principal Deputy Director: Guidance relating to NIH Priorities
Colleagues,
It has come to our attention that some staff are giving guidance to various employees that the word "diversity" may not be used in any context, and that anything with the word
"diversity" in it is not allowed. This is not true. For example, an employee was told they could not go to a conference to discuss research on "neurodiverse
individuals." Others are being told not to use the phrase "genetic diversity." Obviously, this is bad guidance. There are clearly many appropriate uses of the word diversity, and in no way does the NIH police speech or ban

Please ask your staff to use common sense when implementing NIH priorities or ensuring compliance with executive orders. If they are not sure about something, they should ask up their chain of command to get an answer. For NIH to continue its important mission, all staff must work collaboratively to promote rigorous science that does not discriminate and that will lead to potential breakthroughs for the health of all Americans.
Please share this information with other leadership across your ICOs as appropriate.
Matt

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Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · Jun 16

THIS IS IT! THIS IS HUGE!!

PLAINTIFF'S WIN!!

Judge Young rules that the NIH grant terminations at issue in these cases are illegal and therefore vacated. BOOM!

Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · Jun 16

"This Court rules that the challenged directives . . . are arbitrary and capricious."

"They are of no force and effect."

"They are illegal and so are each of the terminations before this Court"

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USC Center for Health Journalism @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social · Jun 16

While funding cuts on "topics such as geosciences, computer science, biology, and social science" have been heavily covered. "What you don't see is #healthequity, which I think is a really glaring lack and something we as reporters need to start focusing more on," @usha.bsky.social McFarling said.

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Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

Charles Piller @charlespiller.bsky.social · Jun 16

Fraud, misconduct, and group-think in Alzheimer’s research - thanks to @healthjournalism.org and @usha.bsky.social for inviting me to speak to health journalists about the findings in my book, "Doctored" -- good recap by @emilybazar.bsky.social healthjournalism.org/blog/2025/06...

Uncovering misconduct among the Alzheimer’s ‘amyloid mafia’

At HJ25 in L.A., Charles Piller spoke about his book delving into the world of Alzheimer's research misconduct.

healthjournalism.org

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Jun 16

“I have never seen racial discrimination by the government like this” in 40 years on the bench, says Reagan-appointed judge (to gasps in the courtroom) as he calls NIH grant terminations "void and illegal." Story by @aniloza.bsky.social 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 Usha Lee McFarling

Megan Ranney MD MPH @meganranney.bsky.social · Jun 15

Over the next 25 years, if proposed cuts in NIH funding are made real, “In a population of more than 340 million, this reflects **82 million** fewer years of life.”

In the US alone.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Cutting the NIH—The $8 Trillion Health Care Catastrophe

This JAMA Forum discusses the recent budget cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the effects of these cuts on scientific research and health of individuals in the US, and the prospects for cha...

jamanetwork.com

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Jun 13

More on the battle over indirect costs within research funding by my colleague @jonathanwosen.bsky.social (who you should follow!) www.statnews.com/2025/06/13/n...

In fight over research overhead funding, universities propose alternatives to Trump's cuts

Exclusive: Facing NIH cuts in "indirect cost" funding, universities float new models to streamline requests and ensure support for research overhead, labs, and federal grants.

www.statnews.com

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Jun 12

Jonathan Wosen @jonathanwosen.bsky.social · Jun 12

Hours after RFK Jr. announced a new CDC vaccine advisory panel, 7 (!!) of my @statnews.com colleagues put together this staggeringly thorough breakdown of what we know about the new ACIP members. It's well worth a read.
www.statnews.com/2025/06/11/r...

A closer look at the new members of the CDC vaccine advisory panel

For more than a half-century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have relied on outside experts to guide the agency’s recommendations on how

www.statnews.com

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Jun 11

More rehiring of fired federal employees. Anyone else dizzy? By @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/06/11/h...

HHS reverses hundreds of CDC firings

The Trump administration has reversed the firings of hundreds of staffers at the CDC.

www.statnews.com

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Reposted by Usha Lee McFarling

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · Jun 11

Helen Chu is one of the ousted #ACIP members. She spoke to me today about her grave concerns for future vaccination policy and vaccine access in the United States. www.statnews.com/2025/06/10/c...

Ousted CDC vaccine adviser says RFK Jr.'s message is clear: ‘Scientific expertise is no longer of use’

Terminated CDC vaccine adviser Helen Chu spoke with STAT about her fears for the future of vaccine policy

www.statnews.com

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Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Jun 10

As @aniloza.bsky.social says so well, "File it under bureaucratic whiplash." NIH rescinds anti-DEI policy only to reinstate it hours later. Was it a mistake? Will it be rescinded again? HHS not answering questions, leaving researchers only more confused. www.statnews.com/2025/06/10/n...

NIH restores DEI prohibition for grant recipients within hours of rescinding it

The NIH rescinded a 7-week-old DEI directive on Monday, only to reinstate it hours later without explanation.

www.statnews.com

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