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anil oza

@aniloza.bsky.social

5K followers 1.7K following 603 posts

science journalist @stat covering health equity, the nih, and interaction btwn science & society | also: npr, nature, sciam, science, science news, cornell daily sun (he/him) (signal: aniloza.16)

Posts Replies Media

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

O.M.B. announcing a set of pocket rescissions (including funding at HHS) this evening www.statnews.com/2026/09/25/t...

Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress

President Trump is canceling nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, and most of the cuts are focused on HHS programs that serve refugees and unaccompanied minors.

Reposted by anil oza

Amanda Garces @amanda-garces.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

@grimmrad.bsky.social we offer discounts up to 75% off here: www.statnews.com/stat-subscri... or email subscribers@statnews.com for more info!

Subscription discounts for students, teachers, health care workers | STAT

Get STAT's award-winning news and analysis of health, medicine, biotech, pharma, and the life sciences for up to 75% off.

Reposted by anil oza

Jack Iwashyna @iwashyna.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

“A planned executive order that would have greatly enhanced White House influence over grants at the National Institutes of Health is “looking dead,” according to one person familiar with the decision and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)” Via @aniloza.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/n...

White House plan to increase control of NIH grants appears 'dead'

A planned EO that would have greatly enhanced White House influence over grants at the NIH is “looking dead,” a source said.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Confirming the White House’s planned EO to exert more political control on NIH seems to be “dead” www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/n...

White House plan to increase control of NIH grants appears 'dead'

A planned EO that would have greatly enhanced White House influence over grants at the NIH is “looking dead,” a source said.

Reposted by anil oza

Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Exclusive: Heidi Overton plans to tell Senators that as FDA commissioner, she would focus on speeding up clinical trials to compete with China. More on her opening statement for tomorrow's hearing here: www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/h...

Nominee to lead FDA aims to speed up medical research, combat China’s rise

Exclusive: Heidi Overton plans to tell senators she will speed up biomedical research, working with FDA staff.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Semafor reporting that the White House is paring back this reported executive order

screenshot reading "“There is still a question of ‘Is it dead?’ versus ‘We don’t actually have a choice but to wait, so we might as well not do this before the midterms,’” said one pharmaceutical industry lobbyist.

If the administration had advanced the original scope of the planned NIH order, it could sink Congress’ ability to pass a stopgap spending bill at the end of the year.

“They have to” pull back, a person familiar with the talks said. “They won’t be able to pass a CR on December 11 if they issue an EO.”"

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Congress was not a fan of the reports circulating this weekend that Vought is pushing for a commission to review all NIH grants www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/t...

Members of Congress push back on plan to create a commission of political appointees to review NIH grants

Several members of Congress voiced strong opposition about a reported plan to create a panel of political appointees to sign off on NIH grants

Reposted by anil oza

Chelsea Harvey @chelseaeharvey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Friends! If you're attending #sciwri26 this weekend, stop through our Saturday panel: how to report on science with a policy lens. With the great @aniloza.bsky.social @dangaristo.bsky.social @alexwitze.bsky.social -- gonna be a 🔥 session, y'all sciencewriters2026.org/schedule/

Putting Policy in Perspective: How to report on science with a policy lens
NASW Professional Development Session
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CH2M Hill Alumni Center, Cascade Ballroom C
Description
Sweeping changes to U.S. science policy made by the Trump administration have upended the research landscape and, by association, the science writers who cover it. From student writers to seasoned correspondents, we’re all struggling to understand often-byzantine policies and their impacts, so that we can explain to our readers and listeners. This session will equip science writers with the tools to cover science policy and its effects on science.

Some of the most important and compelling science stories incorporate policy: coverage of pollution regulations, vaccination schedules, missions to Mars, and more. Many, if not most, science stories can be made stronger and more insightful with policy context included. Just as meteorologists now talk about climate change during their weather forecasts, science writers can include relevant policy details into their stories to place scientific results in context.

Our speakers have a wealth of experience covering science policy in the Trump administration and will speak about how they've broken news, investigated, and turned policy news into a narrative. They’ll share broadly applicable resources for sourcing, contacting government agencies, using databases, understanding legal battles — the nuts and bolts of what’s needed to cover science policy in this environment. Following these presentations, there will be a moderated Q&A and time for questions from the audience.

Speakers
Anil Oza, STAT, Staff Reporter
Chelsea Harvey, POLITICO – E&E News, Reporter

Moderator and Organizer
Dan Garisto, Freelance, Science Journalist

Organizer
Alex Witze, Nature, Retained Correspondent

Reposted by anil oza

Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

NEW: Reed Jobs, a prominent biotech investor (and son of another Jobs you may have heard of), calls for a doubling of the NIH budget to $100 billion. Via @statnews.com. www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/n...

The NIH budget should be $100 billion per year

“We should be strengthening our investment in the NIH, not dismantling it,” writes Reed Jobs.

Reposted by anil oza

Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

New: Officials battled over NIH in the Oval Office today, per people familiar. RUSS VOUGHT criticized NIH "woke" spending and floated executive order to review its grants. JAY BHATTACHARYA defended NIH's alignment with Trump. TRUMP appeared to side with Vought. with @rbeggin.bsky.social

washingtonpost.com

Vought pushes for scrutiny of NIH grants in Oval Office clash

A heated debate took place in the Oval Office on Friday, with some Trump officials accusing the National Institutes of Health of funding grants that conflict with the president’s agenda.

Reposted by anil oza

Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

For anyone who has long tracked health care or health care policy, it's hard to capture the surreal nature of this, perhaps for RFK Jr. supporters too. Story by @isabellacueto.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/09/17/r...

Kennedy renews attacks on vaccines at Children’s Health Defense conference

Health secretary RFK Jr. returned to his roots in a keynote address at a conference hosted by the Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine nonprofit he helped start.

Reposted by anil oza

Arghavan Salles, MD, PhD @arghavansallesmd.medsky.social · 17/09/2026

Thanks to @aniloza.bsky.social for covering our lawsuit against the NIH. I think if you had told most of us 10 years ago that the NIH would be banning specific words, we would have rejected the notion. Yet it’s happening, and we are fighting back.

New lawsuit argues NIH violated First Amendment rights of grant applicants

The lawsuit seeks to halt the process of searching grant applications for specific terms to determine if they should be rejected.

Reposted by anil oza

Michael D. Green, PhD @michaeldgreen.phd · 17/09/2026

Also outlined this sentiment when @aniloza.bsky.social interviewed me for his @statnews.com story covering this. www.statnews.com/2026/09/16/l...

To Green, if he and others don't prevail in the suit, "the bottom falls out from under the NIH," he said in an interview. "To this day, I didn't get clarity on why my work was targeted."
That opacity has made it difficult to trust the agency right now, he said. As a result, what he sees as the main draw of academia -
being able to openly ask questions to better understand the world - feels tenuous. For now, that has meant he's also stopped applying for NIH grants.

Reposted by anil oza

Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Think the future is just about AI? Here are some scientists growing miniature human brain-like organisms inside mice. Via @mmolteni.bsky.social @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/09/16/h...

Scientists made mice with half a brain. Then they filled them with human organoids

Scientists have made mice with half a brain, then filled them with human organoids — possibly opening new avenues for research but also raising ethical issues.

Reposted by anil oza

elizabethcooney.bsky.social @elizabethcooney.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Reporting a story earlier this month, I learned astronauts are "tactical athletes." I learned more from Ben Levine about his research showing the importance of exercise for heart health during spaceflight -- and on Mars one day. www.statnews.com/2026/09/15/h... www.statnews.com/2026/09/03/t...

Exercise — and echocardiograms — in space protected astronauts’ hearts in study

If humans journey to Mars in 2035, exercise will be critical to keeping their hearts strong in microgravity.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Breaking: Federal judge hits pause on Trump admin's plan to limit visa length for grad students & postdocs on the day before the policy was supposed to go into effect this quote, from the temporary ruling, is quite something (from a George W. Bush appointee, I will add)

Reposted by anil oza

Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

News: Federal judge blocks (for now) Trump administration plans to limit visa length for grad students, postdocs. Via @jonathanwosen.bsky.social @aniloza.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/09/14/c...

Federal judge blocks Trump administration plans to limit visa length for grad students, postdocs

A federal judge halted a Trump administration plan to place a four-year cap on the kinds of visas used by graduate students and postdocs

Reposted by anil oza

Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Some hospital leaders are avoiding the fund meant to help them weather the cuts to Medicaid. More on the future of rural care in the latest installment of our new series, Unraveled: www.statnews.com/2026/09/14/r...

The GOP’s $50 billion rural health fund is coming up short, hospital leaders say

Hospital leaders were excited about the Rural Health Transformation Fund until they saw the fine print.

Reposted by anil oza

Theresa Gaffney @theresagaff.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

An exciting post-Labor Day announcement: While Lev Facher is away on a fellowship, I'll be covering addiction at STAT! My first story published last week. Reach out anytime with news tips and story ideas for me to tackle over the next eight months! www.statnews.com/2026/09/03/d...

Why are drug overdose deaths declining?

Naloxone and harm reduction measures may be helping to curb drug overdose deaths, a new report says.

Reposted by anil oza

Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

House votes to temporarily block Trump plan to politicize federal grants, as part of government shutdown stopgap measure. Now before President Trump. www.statnews.com/2026/09/01/s... via @statnews.com @johnwilkerson.bsky.social @aniloza.bsky.social

House votes to temporarily block Trump plan to politicize federal grants

The House voted to pass a stopgap funding bill that, for now, blocks a White House proposal to give political appointees more control over research grants.

Reposted by anil oza

Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The House has voted to temporarily block a Trump plan to politicize federal grants, per @statnews.com. Will it hold? One senator vowed to “fight like hell” to make sure it doesn't. www.statnews.com/2026/09/01/s...

House votes to temporarily block Trump plan to politicize federal grants

The House voted to pass a stopgap funding bill that, for now, blocks a White House proposal to give political appointees more control over research grants.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The House is matching the Senate in temporarily blocking the OMB rewrite of the Uniform Guidance that would politicize grants (Vought said he doesn’t plan to implement the policy until December, so a ban until Dec. 11 does little to delay his plans): www.statnews.com/2026/09/01/s...

House votes to temporarily block Trump plan to politicize federal grants

The House voted to pass a stopgap funding bill that, for now, blocks a White House proposal to give political appointees more control over research grants.

Reposted by anil oza

Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

NIH proposal to cap research grants draws mixed reception, agency says. Via @aniloza.bsky.social @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/09/01/n...

NIH proposal to cap research grants draws mixed reception, agency says

An NIH proposal to cap the number of research grants investigators can receive has drawn a mixed reception, the agency says.

Reposted by anil oza

Jonathan Wosen @jonathanwosen.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

If you're looking for a little more context on my latest @statnews.com story and want to understand what's new here, see this quick thread to bring you up to speed. (1/7) 🧵

Reposted by anil oza

Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

NEW: Hospitals are plotting a long-shot plan to roll back historic cuts to Medicaid. Lawmakers are listening — and making plans of their own. The second installment of our series, Unraveled: www.statnews.com/2026/08/27/h...

Hospitals are plotting a long-shot push to roll back $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts

Inside health systems' efforts to mitigate massive funding cuts.

Reposted by anil oza

elizabethcooney.bsky.social @elizabethcooney.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Still early days, but “If confirmed, Shingrix could prevent hundreds of thousands of cardiovascular events in the USA alone, and may be the first vaccine that protects the heart and the brain,” study author Maxime Taquet said. www.statnews.com/2026/08/26/s...

Newer shingles vaccine linked to lower heart disease risk, ‘natural experiment’ shows

Oxford researchers call shingles shot first vaccine protecting both heart and brain. Lower heart disease risk follows study showing reduced dementia risk.

Reposted by anil oza

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Public comments about a proposal that would make science funding decisions open to political influence are removed from the record, but not by the submitters. A number mentioned that OMB Director Russell Vought's family has benefited from federally funded research. www.statnews.com/2026/08/25/r...

Comments on OMB research rule mysteriously removed from federal website

Some comments on a proposed OMB research rule have been mysteriously removed from a public-facing government webpage.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

OMB's proposal to remake federal grantmaking was flooded with comments Now, they are withdrawing some from the public record — including some that point out Russell Vought's connection to the federally funded research that led to Trikafta www.statnews.com/2026/08/25/r...

Comments on OMB research rule mysteriously removed from federal website

Some comments on a proposed OMB research rule have been mysteriously removed from a public-facing government webpage.

Reposted by anil oza

Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Federal government asks for public comment on a proposal that could upend science. Then, it quietly removes some comments. @aniloza.bsky.social scoop: www.statnews.com/2026/08/25/r...

Comments on OMB research rule mysteriously removed from federal website

Some comments on a proposed OMB research rule have been mysteriously removed from a public-facing government webpage.

Reposted by anil oza

Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

News: CDC's new director tells staff she is prepared to speak ‘truth to power’ Comes after the agency's last leader was fired for refusing RFK Jr.'s orders on vaccines. w/ @helenbranswell.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/08/19/c...

New CDC director tells staff she is prepared to speak ‘truth to power’

Then new CDC director told staff she is “very comfortable and very confident ... speaking truth to power.”

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

the body that accredits schools of public health is weighing changes to the language requiring schools to teach about racism to some, it represents anticipatory compliance to the Trump admin, to others it felt like a reasonable change given the political moment www.statnews.com/2026/08/19/p...

Accrediting body considers changes to racism curriculum standards for public health schools

The accrediting group for schools of public health is weighing the removal of language that specifically requires programs to teach about structural bias and racism.

Reposted by anil oza

Jonathan Wosen @jonathanwosen.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Trump administration sued over visa time limit that would affect grad students, postdocs. My latest for @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/08/18/d...

Trump administration sued over visa time limit that would affect grad students, postdocs

DHS was sued Tuesday over a sweeping policy change that would limit how long foreign students and scholars can remain in the U.S.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

reminds me of this classic

screenshot of a tweet, including an article from popsci that says "the dye in doritos can make mice transparent" and poster says "is that good"

Reposted by anil oza

Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I’m very excited to be joining STAT News as a Washington Correspondent later this month. www.statnews.com/new-trust-in...

STAT announces pioneering new trust-in-science reporter, new D.C. reporter

BOSTON, Aug. 17 — STAT, the leading media company focused on health and medicine, today announced the selection of two new reporters: Nicholas Florko and

Reposted by anil oza

Brittany Trang @brittanytrang.com · 13/08/2026

NEW: A followup to our Commure investigation from yesterday: The company has terminated its programs that pay partners for referring its products. Read more @statnews.com from me and @caseyross.bsky.social: 🩺🖥️

Commure terminates payments under its customer referral programs tied to AI products

Commure, which develops and sells AI products to clinics, has terminated a program that paid for referrals to new customers.

Reposted by anil oza

Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Amid a historic measles outbreak, Trump says the vaccine that protects against the disease could be "quite lethal." Asked if he has evidence of that, he admits he doesn't — saying it's just something he's heard. Inside an unprecedented vaccine policy: www.statnews.com/2026/08/10/t...

Trump returns to controversial vaccine policy with order questioning childhood schedule

The Trump administration, which had recently avoided public discussions of vaccine policy because of concern around the political repercussions, is changing course.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

reposting this story because .... www.statnews.com/2025/09/26/t...

3 burning questions about the MMR vaccine, answered

President Trump has said the MMR vaccine should be broken up. But experts see no medical benefit in separating one shot into three.

Reposted by anil oza

Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

FDA is announcing new GRAS reforms today, which would give consumers insight into the chemical additives in their foods – some, for the first time. More deets, and reactions from some of the top players in this field, including David Kessler, here: www.statnews.com/2026/08/10/r...

FDA to require notice of additives in food supply for the first time

RFK Jr. is claiming a win with a new proposal on the food industry's GRAS loophole; nutrition advocates give mixed reviews.

Reposted by anil oza

Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

A scoop from @aniloza.bsky.social and further evidence that the Trump administration is upending the status quo in science. Via @statnews.com. www.statnews.com/2026/08/07/n...

NIH plans to block international researchers on visas from accessing key funding avenue

The NIH plans to close the door on one of the few pathways available to international students on visas to forge a career in biomedical research in the U.S.

Reposted by anil oza

Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 07/08/2026

The NIH now plans to bar overseas talent from fellowships that have helped foreign scientists get established in the US. Another senseless, major blow to US innovation. I spoke with @aniloza.bsky.social of @statnews.com —> www.statnews.com/2026/08/07/n... cc @piie.com

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

NIH is planning on revoking eligibility for international students on visas for the K99/R00 pathway, a key program that supports postdocs in establishing their own labs www.statnews.com/2026/08/07/n...

NIH plans to block international researchers on visas from accessing key funding avenue

The NIH plans to close the door on one of the few pathways available to international students on visas to forge a career in biomedical research in the U.S.

Reposted by anil oza

Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Daniel Jernigan, one of the top CDC officials to resign in the aftermath of Director Monarez's ouster, describes in vivid detail the scene inside the agency when it came under armed attack one year ago. Via @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/08/07/c...

I was in my office when bullets hit the CDC. A year later, the agency remains under attack

“It was briefly more dangerous to sit at a desk in Atlanta than to chase a hemorrhagic fever in the field,” writes Daniel Jernigan.

Reposted by anil oza

NPR @npr.org · 06/08/2026

Snails are slimy. But there's more to that goo of theirs than meets the eye. It's a fact that may help inspire the creation of new materials. n.pr/4z3oX28

Sticky or slippery? Snails can change their slime to meet the moment

Snails are slimy. But there's more to that goo of theirs than meets the eye. It's a fact that may help inspire the creation of new materials.

Reposted by anil oza

Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress www.statnews.com/2026/08/06/a...

Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress

A Senate committee has voted to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer questions about his role in the Covid pandemic.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Senate's proposed continuing resolution would put OMB's proposed changes to grantmaking on ice, for now www.statnews.com/2026/08/02/s...

Senate measure would block Trump plan to politicize federal grants, for now

A White House proposal to subject research grants to political scrutiny meets at least a temporary roadblock in the Senate.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Photo holding jsm 2026 badge for Anil Oza, statnews

Reposted by anil oza

Jack Iwashyna @iwashyna.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I hate candidemia-caused septic shock. So much. Why do we still not know which patients would benefit from early empiric antifungals? I reflect a bit at @nejm.org on living with uncertainty when the patient is dying in front of you: voices.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

voices.nejm.org

Choosing Humility in the Face of My Ignorance

A patient in shock forced me to consider how to respond to the limits of my own knowledge and those of the medical field at large.

anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

where have I heard this before …

Screenshot reading “Cassidy said that his approval of Kaufman comes with conditions and that any departure from these agreements by the Health and Human Services Department could hold up further health nominees. “

Reposted by anil oza

elizabethcooney.bsky.social @elizabethcooney.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The story that began in New Orleans more than a month ago is not over. Update from last night at @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/07/28/a...

American Diabetes Association, facing calls for resignations, asks for patience

An open letter to the board of the American Diabetes Association said the board had badly mishandled an incident at its annual meeting.

Reposted by anil oza

STAT @statnews.com · 29/07/2026

Breaking: At a highly anticipated Senate hearing, Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer questions about the Covid-19 pandemic and its origins, saying he was doing so on the advice of his attorneys. www.statnews.com/2026/07/29/f...

Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment in declining to answer questions before Senate panel

At a highly anticipated Senate hearing, Anthony Fauci evoked his Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer questions about the Covid-19 pandemic and its origins.