Sign in

Jenna Norton

@jenna-m-norton.bsky.social
7.7K followers 2.5K following 3.4K posts

Health Equity Scientist, Bethesda Declaration signer, work at NIH, speak in my personal capacity, photo: AP/Jose Luis Magana Also on: www.instagram.com/jmnorton www.tiktok.com/@jennajmn linktr.ee/declarationsofdissent

PostsRepliesMedia
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 2h
“This sends a dangerous message to the world: A 250-year-old democracy is intentionally obscuring its own elections.” democracyrenewal.org/news/osce-el...
democracyrenewal.org
DRG Calls on U.S. Government to Invite OSCE Election Observers
A community of global democracy and peacebuilding professionals protecting and strengthening U.S. democracy for all.
0183
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 3h
Great list. You and I largely agree on all of this. I’d phrase two of the points in a different way, based on who drives them: a. The Musk/Thiel tech billionaire world is telling themselves AI will take over so who cares about science. (Andreessen supports giving NSF a ‘death sentence’)
1142
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 3h
b. The Koch network of billionaires (Yass, Uihlein, Bradley, CEI, Heritage, Hoover etc etc etc) wants to destroy government to cut taxes on the rich. “government is, per se, evil.” But science is a public good and depends on government.
Ideology to attack government
What do you see as the Republican [donor] motivation?
To slash government. They hate the government. They want to make it not work because then they can justify further cuts.
They're dogmatic. They're driven by an Ayn Rand mentality that the government is, per se, evil and anything you do to cripple it, cut it, downsize it, is, per se, the moral and correct thing to do. They don't actually care about economic growth...
- Bruce Bartlett, former senior Reagan aide
(Not everyone in the party, but too many)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Bartlett
1163
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 5h
4 reasons the Trump administration is attacking science. 🧵 This is still one of the most common questions I hear from people - but why!? Isn't science good for everyone?! So, here is my current thinking on why...
47031
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Katherine Eban @katherineeban.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
SCOOP in @rollingstone.com 👇 CDC has set aside new $1.6M for controversial hepatitis B vax clinical trial in Guinea-Bissau, halted earlier amid uproar over medical ethics. CDC director's office resurrected it, taking $$ from global health security funds: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
rollingstone.com
CDC Is Moving Forward With a Previously Shelved Controversial Hepatitis B Vaccine Study
“It’s a wholly unethical trial, and it shouldn’t be allowed,” says Dr. Paul Offit of Guinea-Bissau study
9184123
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I can actually feel the diseases being cured and the outbreaks being prevented through such visionary strategic investments...
An NIH Communication email to all staff about converting the use of "AI" to "SI" in all communications due to a recent Executive Order.
9389
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 7h
Completely agree! The 10 year avg includes data over a period where application numbers, awards and budget were substantially lower, not to mention data from 2025 which was an outlier (see figure) due largely to the Vought/Bhattacharya multiyear funding policy. 🧵
Graph of number of ESI R01 equivalent awards from 2021 to 2026, showing a large drop in 2025.
1123
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 18h
It’s hard to believe that CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz hasn’t had extensive training in research ethics. That means she’s intentionally going to let babies in Guinea-Bissau be infected with Hepatitis B by withholding vaccine when they have vaccine available.
1633198
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Michael D. Green, PhD @michaeldgreen.phd · 15h
One of the companies that thought kissing the ring would buy them favors FYI
1259
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 10h
If the Hepatitis B vaccine trial RFK Jr. has funded in Guinea-Bissau were ethical, he’d be doing it in the U.S. Instead, he’s preying on infants in one of the poorest countries in the world, which also happens to have a high prevalence of Hep B. Infants will suffer b/c RFK Jr. is anti-vax.
1226987
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 9h
Trump nominates fox to watch hen house. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/t...
washingtonsun.com
White House Floats Russ Vought’s Deputy to Lead Congress’ Watchdog Arm
OMB Deputy Director Eric Ueland has presided over massive shakeups to the federal workforce that the Government Accountability Office has deemed detrimental.
0124
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 18h
Corruption, through and through. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
Exclusive | ‘Honey Please’: Kimberly Guilfoyle Pushed Donor to Wire $100,000 to Her Amex Account
Text messages with a MAGA ally show Guilfoyle seeking funds and offering access to top administration officials before becoming ambassador to Greece.
0196
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Brian Marron @brianmarron.bsky.social · 19h
If one was conducting a lawful, bona fide reorganization, one would still carry out the core mission of the agency until the reorganization is complete. The reorg of AHRQ is a sham. The unspent money will be spent on attorney fees for the RIFed workers.
Collectively, the substantial unobligated balance of funds near the close of the fiscal year, the cancellation of grant peer review sessions, the RIF separating key grant personnel from the agency, and admissions by agency management of funding uncertainty suggest a lack of intent to prudently obligate funds. Based on the foregoing, HHS's actions did not constitute the type of unavoidable delays or efforts to comply with statutory requirements that we have previously recognized as programmatic delays. Instead, HHS's actions indicate an intentional withholding of funds in violation of the ICA.
042
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 19h
The unethical, racist study of a birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau is back. Last year, we made a lot of noise and they dropped it. Time to get loud again! www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
rollingstone.com
CDC Is Moving Forward With a Previously Shelved Controversial Hepatitis B Vaccine Study
“It’s a wholly unethical trial, and it shouldn’t be allowed,” says Dr. Paul Offit of Guinea-Bissau study
28452
Reposted by Jenna Norton
ImmigrantsAreUS @immigrantsareus.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Authoritarianism is here. The 4th amendment applies to everyone, not only citizens; but citizens vote. #kickthemout
1229
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The Trump admin (specifically Russell Vought) violated the Impoundment Control Act when it decimated AHRQ last year, leaving $78M in Congressionally appropriated funds on the table. Vought did it again last month. As we look toward new leadership in 2027, we need accountability. impeachvought.com
impeachvought.com
Impeach Vought
We are current and former federal workers from across the government. We have witnessed first-hand the harm Russell Vought has inflicted on American communities. We are urging Congress to act now to p...
417256
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
This is spot on - accountability by unmasking the corruption: www.ms.now/opinion/demo... "While making several multimillion-dollar contributions to the president’s projects, Chevron has gained the rights to vast oil reserves in Venezuela while families pay more than $4 at the pump.
ms.now
Opinion | Corporations can be Democrats’ secret weapon for holding Trump accountable
Some Democrats are worried about using investigative authority too broadly against corporate America. That’s a mistake.
12711
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I had a deeply depressing conversation with a health equity researcher recently about all the ways that Jay Bhattacharya's appalling list of banned words and topics has affected their work....
1266
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Shande Farmisht @pjt1919.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
HHS #AHRQ violated the ICA - POST the April 2025 RIF. @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social @firedbutfighting.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social @leorahorwitzmd.bsky.social @jeremymberg.bsky.social
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - Department of Health and Human Services—Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality—Application of Impoundment Control Act to the Availability of Funds for Grants
Congress appropriated lump sum amounts to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to carry out various research initiatives for fiscal...
061
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Who has "Steven Quay announced as NIAID Director immediately after midterms" on their 2026 bingo card? www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
‘The anti-Fauci’? Lab-leak proponent listed in NIH directory but denies being hired
Biotech executive Steven Quay may be in contention for leadership role in infectious disease institute
0116
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Andrew Tan @andrewtanyongyi.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Dr Jay Bhattacharya misleads. The Proximal Origin paper did not rule out the possibility of the SARS2 pandemic starting as a virus leaked from a lab. In fact I cited the paper at Physics Forums in April 2020 to make that point. www.physicsforums.com/threads/coro...
Quote: "phyzguy said: is not consistent with having been produced in a lab."

atyy: "This is not known for sure (as discussed in the paper below, see the section "Selection during passage"). While a laboratory origin is unlikely, excluding it at this stage is premature.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9
"The genomic features described here may explain in part the infectiousness and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 in humans. Although the evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 is not a purposefully manipulated virus, it is currently impossible to prove or disprove the other theories of its origin described here. However, since we observed all notable SARS-CoV-2 features, including the optimized RBD and polybasic cleavage site, in related coronaviruses in nature, we do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible. "
 
Last edited: Apr 17, 2020"  

Reference: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/coronaviruses-in-malayan-pangolins.987501/#post-6328114
1103
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
97% of surveyed health equity scientists reported changing/ planning to change their science in response to Trump's ideological war on diversity, equity & inclusion. Changes included: - Language: 84% - Research question: 56% - Topic: 50% - Stopping entirely: 19% osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io
Observed Shifts in the Health Equity Research Landscape: Results of a National Survey of Health Equity Researchers April-July, 2025
Objectives. To assess changes health equity researchers have made or anticipate making to their research in the context of the current federal administration’s policies on diversity, equity, and inclu...
14918
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Jay Bhattacharya is over on Twitter grossly trying to take credit for this talk as a result of his academic freedom policy. Notably, his academic freedom policy does not apply to the research NIH funds at universities. Nor to scientists who work in program or review.
Last year, as part of a comprehensive review of NIH’s intramural policies, I announced that NIH was adopting an updated agency-wide framework to embed principles of academic freedom within our Intramural Research Program. This framework recognizes that intramural researchers must be free to share their scientific viewpoints and to communicate their scientific findings through manuscripts, presentations, media interviews, and so on. This includes hosting outside lecturers for events focused on their scientific work. 

Today, NIH reaffirms this commitment to academic freedom as members of the intramural research community host Kristian G. Andersen, MPhil, PhD, as a guest lecturer. 

Dr. Andersen is a co-author of a March 2020 paper published in Nature Medicine titled “The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2.” The paper’s authors assert: “Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus.” They further write that “we do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible.” pandemic. 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗡𝗜𝗛 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀—𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗦-𝗖𝗼𝗩-𝟮—𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄.
25616
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
It's "Heard Immunity" as in "they heard there was widespread immunity..."
0354
Reposted by Jenna Norton
27 UNIHTED @27unihted.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Check out this fantastic to the editor by 27 UNIHTED Senior Advisor, Dr. Lori Frank wapo.st/4hXWkwV
This dementia research shows why the NIH matters
1228
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Local coverage of the NIH censorship lawsuit involving Pitt plaintiffs. pittnews.com/article/2034...
pittnews.com
Pitt professors join class-action lawsuit against NIH, alleging it censored scientific research - The Pitt News
The lawsuit, filed on Sept.16, alleges that NIH, the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research, is unconstitutionally censoring scientific research in relation to requiring a list of keywor...
07326
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Pennsylvania has now reported: -At least 1004 measles cases -198 hospitalizations -Five deaths Only four of the cases had been vaccinated. Sure, we’ve got some numbers here, but the damage from RFK Jr.’s malicious treachery is actually incalculable.
wbaltv.com
Pennsylvania measles cases reach more than 1,000. Track outbreaks in your state
Measles cases have surged in 2026, and Pennsylvania reported more than a thousand cases as of Monday.
46737339
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Inhumane.
23310
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 05/10/2026
If in the next three years we don’t substantially reform the Court and throw Alito’s entire jurisprudence in the trash (and I mean all of it)… we will have allowed this rightwing politician to have made the US substantially more fascist, against the popular will.
1125769
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Colin O’Brien upheld his oath to the constitution and the American people. www.wsj.com/politics/mic...
wsj.com
Essay | Exclusive | Michael Lewis on the Lone Security Guard Who Resisted DOGE
In an exclusive excerpt from “Blockers,” the inside story of the high-stakes D.C. standoff where security chief Colin O’Brien fought off DOGE operatives.
4185
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This language will be crucial to protect NIH science from being politicized. Thanks to @murray.senate.gov and Sen Collins for leading this. Kennedy is opposed, so especially if you are in Louisiana, time to flood phone lines. rollcall.com/2026/10/01/l...
rollcall.com
Lame-duck effort brewing to protect NIH grantmaking
​Senate appropriators from both parties are workshopping language that could be added to a spending bill to prevent the White House from exerting political influence on medical research grants. The pr...
17838
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
A nice letter to the editor about the importance of NIH research and the Bethesda Declaration community. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | This dementia research shows why the NIH matters
Dementia, ant warfare, college affordability and more, in readers' eyes.
0196
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I see some folks asking: what motivates RFK Jr to tell such horrific, dangerous, repulsive lies about the HPV vaccine? Well, he has made $856,559 from suing the HPV vaccine maker (his vaccine adviser, Dr Kulldorff, also got rich the same way) Always follow the 🤑! www.npr.org/sections/sho...
npr.org
RFK Jr. plans to keep a financial stake in lawsuits against the drugmaker Merck
RFK Jr. plans to keep collecting referral fees in lawsuits against the drug company Merck even if confirmed as HHS secretary, according to new filings with the Office of Government Ethics.
26702272
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 04/10/2026
Hi government employee here, who has visibility into how things worked before 2025 and since: This is correct. Rebuild government, prosecute DOGE and Trump officials, and think about contracting reform later.
6900204
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 03/10/2026
Yes. And not (just) the leaders of universities. It is many of the leaders of the scientific organizations too. With a few notable exceptions—like UCS and Stand Up for Science—sci orgs are choosing to maximize bipartisanship rather
68331
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
This is the key point in a good thread: People want leaders with conviction, who stand up for what’s right, regardless of the political positioning.
092
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Unless Congress reclaims its power, this will just become the new normal. A good first step would be to impeach Vought. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/u...
nytimes.com
National Science Foundation Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by Congress
The move, affecting about one-fifth of the National Science Foundation’s primary research budget, is the latest sign of how the White House is asserting more control over grants.
8830851182
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Michael D. Green, PhD @michaeldgreen.phd · 02/10/2026
Gr8 chart here from @jaspar.bsky.social of @statnews.com Thankfully for NIH awards, it’s possible to evaluate claims like “we want to support early-career scientists” with data. The data does not support that claim.
A chart that shows that funding early career scientists have plateaus

Early-career grant funding has plateaued since 2024
Value of early-career project grants awarded in 2026 vs. previous years
1.85B1.918
1.5B
1.48B
1.5587.62฿
1.7B 1.74B
1.98P1.94E1.91B
1B
500M
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
Early-career grants included activity codes F30, F32, T32, T43, T35, TL1, K01, K08, K12, K22, K23, K24, K43, K99, and ROO.
Chart: J. Emory Parker/STAT • Source: STAT Analysis of NIH RePORTER
13717
Reposted by Jenna Norton
ImmigrantsAreUS @immigrantsareus.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
This seems like confessing a crime. www.impeachvought.com
impeachvought.com
Impeach Vought
We are current and former federal workers from across the government. We have witnessed first-hand the harm Russell Vought has inflicted on American communities. We are urging Congress to act now to p...
13410
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Theresa Kim, PhD, MS @tyk314.net · 02/10/2026
#NIH will eliminate clinical trials for K awards starting October 2027. Again, there are troubles with training clinical trialists. That doesn't mean eliminate the program. It means support trainees to the fullest extent possible. Read the statement from @asa-scipol.bsky.social.
amstat.org
Letters Organized, Signed, and/or Sent
The American Statistical Association is the world’s largest community of statisticians, the “Big Tent for Statistics.
1157
Reposted by Jenna Norton
themedici.bsky.social @themedici.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
BTW, www.impeachvought.com
impeachvought.com
Impeach Vought
We are current and former federal workers from across the government. We have witnessed first-hand the harm Russell Vought has inflicted on American communities. We are urging Congress to act now to p...
071
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Lavender🎀Honey @lavenderhoney.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
💫✨🌟✨💫 Follow more smart people Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social
081
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Sen. Ron Johnson apparently supports breaking the law... "Johnson said he supports the president doing 'whatever it takes' to reduce federal spending." As he stopped a bill attempting to correct Vought's unlawful pocket rescission. www.politico.com/live-updates...
politico.com
Ron Johnson blocks vote to stop Trump’s funding cancellations
Democrats tried to pass a bill to revive $810 million Trump unilaterally canceled and prevent similar clawbacks.
3206
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"Because policy shapes health, research on policy is health research." Great article from some giants in the fields of public health, social epidemiology, and health policy research: www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
healthaffairs.org
Policy Research At The National Institutes Of Health: An Imperative In Peril | Health Affairs Forefront
Understanding the health consequences of policy is not peripheral to NIH’s mission. It is central to it.
04223
Reposted by Jenna Norton
I-270, Exit 1 @i270exit1.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Full Quote "Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world. Science is the highest personification of the nation because that nation will remain the first which carries the furthest the works of thought and intelligence." Louis Pasteur
093
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Revolving Door Project @revolvingdoordc.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
NEW: The Trump regime is eviscerating the federal workforce as escalating risks increase the need for civil servants. Undoing the Vought-led onslaught is a matter of life-and-death. It would also be good politics.
revolvingdoorproject.substack.com
Reversing Voughtism; or, Creating a Pro-Worker Government to Save Lives
The Trump regime is dismantling the federal government’s ability to protect you. Undoing the Vought-led onslaught is a matter of life-and-death, and it would be good politics.
22519
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The admin’s actions can be hard to understand, especially because they often conflict. (Why attack science?) Recognizing the admin as an alliance of factions with different & often competing motivations helps make sense of the chaos. adversarialanalysis.substack.com/p/yes-they-a...
adversarialanalysis.substack.com
Yes, they are Crazy Extremists: An Erratic Alliance of Irrational Ideologies and Pathological Motivations
The Ideologies and Motivations of the Four Factions of the Regime
0225
Reposted by Jenna Norton
Theresa Kim, PhD, MS @tyk314.net · 01/10/2026
@jenna-m-norton.bsky.social and Wen-Ying Sylvia Chou remind us we maintain hope through honest, vision, action, and community. #NIH #BethesdaDeclaration
ajph.aphapublications.org
Hope From the Front Lines: Reflections From the Bethesda Declaration Movement
0146
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Disruption of global research at NIH is endangering people in the United States and around the world. 27unihted.substack.com/p/disruption... Foreign collaborations have been interrupted and discouraged and foreign scientists in the United States are working in an increasingly hostile environment.
27unihted.substack.com
Disruption of global research is endangering people in the United States and around the world
Concern 8 of the Bethesda Declaration: One Year Later
24821
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Hope can feel in short supply these days. But I am truly hopeful for the future, in large part because of the community we've built through the Bethesda Declaration. Proud to share these reflections on hope: ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.... May they bring you some hope.
ajph.aphapublications.org
Hope From the Front Lines: Reflections From the Bethesda Declaration Movement | Hope: A Public Health Blueprint for Action
American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) from the American Public Health Association (APHA)
25417