Checking in with sources this morning... The total from NIH was apparently slightly more than 1500 people (out of 5200 HHS Department-wide) 1/n - ThreadSky

jeremymberg.bsky.social • 7 days ago

Checking in with sources this morning...

The total from NIH was apparently slightly more than 1500 people (out of 5200 HHS Department-wide)

1/n

Comments

tessadk.bsky.social•7 days ago

Next up: National Archives

jeremymberg.bsky.social•7 days ago

Many of the NCBI resources and eRA Commons were run by contractors. However, many of these folks were apparently converted to Fed positions at the end of last year to protect them.

This means that many of them were probationary NIH employees...

Trying to run this down...

2/n

jeremymberg.bsky.social•7 days ago

Write to your Congress-critters and Senators today (especially in red states) and urge them to contact the White House and let them know your thoughts.

Mine are that the purge yesterday likely did considerable damage to the US biomedical research and public health capacity.

con'ted

3/n

jeremymberg.bsky.social•7 days ago

The rumored intent to fire some or all of the NIH institute and center directors will be tremendously damaging to research that benefits the health of the American people (and people around the world) and to the leadership position that America has held in biomedical research.

con'ted

4/n

jeremymberg.bsky.social•7 days ago

This will damage the American economy now and into the future.

The NIH has been described as one of the crown jewels in the American government.

If the goal is to fix NIH, this is like performing open heart surgery with a chain saw.

5/n

jeremymberg.bsky.social•7 days ago

Any folks from Louisiana interested in these issues, please DM me.

/fin

ellestad.bsky.social•7 days ago

It's not really a "rumor", RFK Jr stated on record, a purge of NIH, CDC, and FDA staff was a goal, should he be appointed. He has some sort of personal vendetta against them, they didn't listen to him or something. These firings of "probationary" employees are just "phase one".

minorallele.bsky.social•7 days ago

Of course it isn't. It's to teach scientists a lesson, to make them fall in line. They have told us so.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/06/steve-bannon-banned-by-twitter-for-calling-for-fauci-beheading

foxy99.bsky.social•7 days ago

It’s not the goal.

malar0ne.bsky.social•7 days ago

I don't think that's the goal.
https://bsky.app/profile/malar0ne.bsky.social/post/3li6a5we2uk2o

dibblehepcat.bsky.social•7 days ago

Let me let you in on a secret - this isn't about "fixing the NIH".

(Unless "fixing" is used with its gangster definition.)

gregggonsalves.bsky.social•5 days ago

Any more news on IC Directors?

peiferlabunc.bsky.social•7 days ago

Wrote Tillis again.....

mcmonkey.bsky.social•7 days ago

Don't write to your Senators. It will just get logged under a general category in their tracking system. Calling is much more effective, even if you are just leaving a message. I'm a former Senate staffer (and current biologist)

jimmychuri.bsky.social•7 days ago

how many times can i call?

i feel like no matter what i say it disappears into the ether "i voted for Senator and am disappointed he is supprting this nominee" etc etc

at end of call i even ask them to read back what they i said/they are reporting 🤣

mcmonkey.bsky.social•6 days ago

I would call once a day per topic. And try not to make any one call too long. Long enough to establish your issue and that you actually care, but not so long that you lose the young staffer's attention or start to "waste their time."

peiferlabunc.bsky.social•7 days ago

We all feel that way but they are counting calls

peiferlabunc.bsky.social•7 days ago

I called yesterday and will visit their office in person Wednesday

mcmonkey.bsky.social•7 days ago

That's a great idea. Basically, the more uncomfortable it is, the less you can be ignored.

kuriouscity.bsky.social•7 days ago

Why?

mcmonkey.bsky.social•6 days ago

It's about the amount of attention your contact receives from staff. If it's a voice message, they have to listen and spend time logging what you say. An email they can just do a word search. So, when the staff is asked what they are hearing, they will focus on what they have spent more time on.

peiferlabunc.bsky.social•7 days ago

No rational reason but they are correct

scientistinusa.bsky.social•7 days ago

I suggest visiting their offices too. Talk about how your institution rescinded PhD offers for next year after freeze, how foreign postdoc candidates changed their minds at the last minute (not coming here), and how every $ invested in science returns from $2 to $30. Take your friends with you.

elisedemeter.bsky.social•7 days ago

Tillis (aka staff) wrote me back on Jan 31 to say HHS had paused external communication and that this common during presidential transitions. This reply didn’t hold up for a single day.

docsirianni.bsky.social•7 days ago

I hate to even type this (in case it becomes a suggestion), but how much risk do you think pubmed as a whole is facing? Ie, ideological purges of papers with banned topics, since NCBI resources support it. I’m surprised they haven’t gone there yet

doctorzen.net•7 days ago

I don’t think PubMed is mentioned in Project 2025, which seems to be the playbook being followed almost to a T. So maybe not under immediate threat?

docsirianni.bsky.social•7 days ago

I hope so 🤞

fearoncassidy.bsky.social•7 days ago

People around the world are using NIH resources like NCBI, GEO, Pubmed everyday… what will happen to them…

dhreik.bsky.social•7 days ago

It is illegal. (5 CFR 315.803, 4 CFR 315.804)

coloradowildflower.bsky.social•7 days ago

In a Dictatorship, the dictator decides what is illegal . . . . Until we topple the Dictator and reinstall our Democracy.

rnabio.bsky.social•7 days ago

Should we start a thread listing available positions for those who lost their jobs? We need to find ways to support them.

maximoprado.bsky.social•7 days ago

My group would take at least 2 people interested in neurodegeneration as post docs https://bsky.app/profile/maximoprado.bsky.social/post/3lhfhli2wdk2h

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