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Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD

@radhikalu.bsky.social
1.5K followers 437 following 136 posts

Emergency Physician | Anthropologist | Implementation Scientist | Global Health Researcher | Philadelphia Eagles season ticket holder 🦅🦅

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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
🚨 The NIH is moving to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in infectious-disease research projects to the DOD under a secret 10-year pact. Here’s what’s happening inside “Operation Prevailing Edge” 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Revealed: inside the US military's plan to tap huge sums from the NIH
An agreement paves the way for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects to be transferred from the NIH’s institute for infectious diseases to the Department of Defense.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
NIH Vigils @nihvigils.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
“It’s an elegant arrangement. It converts coercive state action into private editorial decisions, distributes moral injury across thousands of individual scientists each making a defensible compromise, and leaves executive power free to deny with curious vigor that censorship is occurring at all.”
sciencedirect.com
Inside the meat locker: anticipatory self-censorship and pressure on the vocabulary of American science
The U.S. federal grant terminations of 2025 have had a chilling effect on American science. Grantees whose awards have been renegotiated under threat …
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
NEW: The NIH is quietly restricting funding for research that evaluates how public policy impacts human health. According to internal documents I obtained, the agency no longer considers policymakers "mission relevant" — a massive shift for the biomedical funder. My latest for @nature.com:
nature.com
NIH limits funding for research on the health effects of public policy
US biomedical agency no longer considers policymakers as ‘mission relevant’, leaving dozens of grants in limbo.
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Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
There are lots of ways to build a coalition to fight for public health. But a new collaborationist politics is sprouting up which excuses too much & pretends that MAHA is something other than it is: a movement built to destroy & built on lies by its founders. www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
Collaborating With the MAHA Movement Is a Terrible Idea
Some pundits are pushing a strategic alliance with parts of RFK Jr.’s base. Here’s why they’re wrong.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
RFK Jr says kids might be “better off” if they aren’t given the flu vaccine He is wrong A new study in Pediatrics finds that overall vaccine effectiveness against death from flu was 80% from Aug 2016 to July 2025 (jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...) RFK Jr’s vile anti-vaxx crusade is costing lives
Pediatrics:

New study—the flu vaccine reduces the risk of flu-related death in children by about 80%
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
NIH is testing their ability to terminate “unaligned” grants, with at least one new termination documented. Disgustingly, they awarded this grant simply so they could add a termination clause. Then they terminated it. From @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
NIH is again terminating grants that the Trump administration dislikes
With cancellation of health disparities project, agency may be testing new way to legally kill politically sensitive grants
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
‼️ AHRQ is in the midst of a mass grant termination event. We (at Grant Witness) need your help to launch a tracker ASAP. If you received an AHRQ termination notice--or if you know of someone else who did--please submit information about the grant here: grant-witness.us/submit-nih.h...
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 09/07/2026
🚨 HEADS UP: If you haven't submitted a comment on the OMB proposal yet, there's still time - but it's running out! There are only 4 days left to push back against Russell Vought's attempt to give political appointees unprecedented control over federal research funding. Take Action: zurl.co/aMM32
Graphic from Stand Up for Science urging action on a federal funding proposal. Large text reads: "4 Days Left" and "Help Us Stop Vought From Destroying American Science." A portrait of Russell Vought appears beside the U.S. Capitol. A banner along the bottom reads: "Submit a comment on the OMB proposal | Link in bio to take action." The Stand Up for Science logo appears in the top left.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Abolishing the NIH has always been this admin’s plan. They told us in Project 2025. They’ve SHOWN us with their actions over the past 18 months. This is why a heads down approach will not work. The scientific community has 2 options: oppose this with all we’ve got, or let them carry out their plan.
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
NIH grants have been under political scrutiny since early 2025. But what does the screening process actually look like? What is being flagged? I spent a month digging into leaked docs and emails. We've published the 235-word list that are being flagged by an internal AI tool. And so much more. 🧵
nature.com
Inside the new political screening that’s stalling NIH grants
Mandatory reviews by top health officials and checks for 235 disfavoured terms have left hundreds of vetted grant applications in administrative limbo.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Noam Ross @noamross.net · 23/06/2026
Thousands of biomedical studies are stuck in limbo as NIH drags out renewals months after annual budgets expire. Since 2025, the rate of overdue renewals has TRIPLED. This leaves scientists unable to plan, keep staff employed, or maintain long-term research. grant-witness.us/posts/2026-0... #NIH 🧪
grant-witness.us
Overdue Grant Renewals at NIH and AHRQ – Grant Witness
The government’s delays renewing in-progress research are leaving researchers in limbo.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Yesterday, I met Jay Bhattacharya briefly for the first time. I don’t think he’s a fan. 😬🤷‍♀️😇 He spoke yesterday at an NIH workshop on Health Disparities. I want to reflect on his talk, as well as the brief interaction that followed. Here goes… 🧵1/???
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
🚨 You need to read this thread, it’s the most important thread of the day If you think the actions taken by Bhattacharya, Vought, RFK Jr, and Trump to politicize & dismantle science & “cure science of woke DEI” were bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet This would effectively be the end of science 👇👇👇👇
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Quick Rant : Global health loves to celebrate “local expertise” until it’s time for local experts to travel. Our young Cameroonian physician research coordinator was supposed to present malaria research from Cameroon at a meeting in Panama.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA @krutikakuppalli.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
🚨 #Uganda MOH has confirmed 2 additional #Ebola cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Uganda to 7. Particularly concerning is that these new cases are healthcare workers in Kampala and unclear if they cared for or had exposure to any of the other known cases. .
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
More on the destruction of US science. www.chronicle.com/article/they...
chronicle.com
They Got the Best NIH Scores of Their Careers. A Year Later, They Still Don’t Have Funding.
The NIH’s spending on new medical research is significantly slower than in previous years, leaving confused scientists in the lurch.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
#Ebola scoop: The Trump administration has imposed a travel ban on people who've been in DRC, South Sudan or Uganda in the past 21 days. The order does not apply to Americans. www.statnews.com/2026/05/18/c...
statnews.com
U.S. bans entry for travelers from Ebola-affected countries
In response to an Ebola outbreak, the U.S. has banned entry for foreign travelers who have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Scoop: There has been a massive shakeup at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Eight of the top ten officials have now been pushed out since President Donald Trump took office. In @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Exclusive: NIH ousts infectious-disease leaders as COVID scientists face US charges
Eight of the top ten officials at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have now been pushed out since President Donald Trump took office.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
NEW: A serious staffing shortage — of the Trump admin's own making — is delaying the agency's ability to send billions to universities around the country, leaving labs reeling in the meantime. “I thought we were at rock bottom”, a senior NIH official said. “We are below rock bottom now.”
nature.com
NIH staffing shortage could slash number of new grants issued this year
Some units at the US funding giant are so understaffed, they are focusing on mandated grant renewals rather than new awards.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Theresa Kim, PhD, MS @tyk314.net · 14/05/2026
@pennldi.bsky.social @pennmehp.bsky.social and others are sponsoring this important #NIH funding seminar. May 19, 11 AM ET. Spread the word. #sciencesky #medsky #publichealthsky #episky #statsky
The Past, Present, and Future of Public Research Funding. Tuesday 5/19, 11 am ET. Austrian Auditorium.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
When the NIH abruptly terminated thousands of research grants last year, the fallout wasn’t distributed equitably. A new analysis suggests the cuts disproportionately hit women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ investigators. My latest for @nature.com
nature.com
NIH grant cuts disproportionately hit minority and female scientists
A survey reveals sharp divides in who bore the brunt of last year’s spree of grant cancellations by the Trump administration.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Sharing this screen grab from a friend at NIH (with permission). This is a checklist program officers have to complete before a grant can be awarded. The first question: "Is this grant All Clean/Clear in the NIH Text analysis Tool?" 🧵1/3
Screen grab of an NIH grants checklist showing the first question is: "1. Is this grant All Clean/Clear in the NIH Text analysis Tool?"
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Stephanie Nolen @stephanienolen.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
I first reported on H.I.V. in Zambia in 2002, when no one had treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. I saw hospitals where gaunt, dying patients packed the corridors. But Zambia — bolstered by international donors and the U.S. PEPFAR program — turned the tide www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/h...
nytimes.com
AIDS Creeps Back in Parts of Zambia, a Year After U.S. Cuts to H.I.V. Assistance
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Bhattacharya, Letai & other politicals at NIH keep trying to to say all at NIH is fine, because they spent the full budget last year. This well researched article from @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social explains exactly why many scientists are still struggling. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...
washingtonpost.com
For U.S. medical researchers, shrinking labs and bare budgets are the new reality
The Trump administration has slashed the number of grants from the National Institutes of Health, with far fewer focused on women, cancer and mental health.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Have you ever heard of breast ironing? This week, while taking part in a 4-day free cancer screening initiative in Cameroon's South West region, I was reminded of the horrors it causes and why we need to talk about it. 🧵 A thread.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
PLOS Global Public Health @plosglobalpublichealth.org · 19/03/2026
🚀 PLOS Global Public Health Is Recruiting Academic Editors! Join Us! PLOS Global Public Health is growing, and we’re excited to announce that we are now seeking passionate, mission‑driven Academic Editors to join our diverse, global Editorial Board!
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Jonathan Wosen @jonathanwosen.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
@statnews.com conducted a national survey of NIH-funded researchers and found that, a year after Trump's return, many scientists are reeling, with some closing labs entirely. ‘This is like the Titanic,' one respondent told me. For full details, see our special report www.statnews.com/2026/03/19/n...
statnews.com
National survey of NIH-funded researchers shows precarious state of U.S. science — ‘This is like the Titanic’
A nationwide STAT survey of NIH-funded researchers reveals that, a year after Donald Trump's return to the White House, many scientists are reeling
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
BREAKING: @delauro.house.gov announces at a House Oversight hearing with NIH director Jay Bhattacharya that OMB approved the agency's apportionment last night. That means the agency should have access to its appropriated funds — 42 days after its spending bill passed.
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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
A case of travel-related cladeI mpox has been reported in New York City. Mpox continues to circulate globally. Thankfully there are vaccines which confer protection and reduce disease severity. Get vaccinated if you have an increased risk of exposure. www.nydailynews.com/2026/03/14/s...
nydailynews.com
First case of severe mpox virus confirmed in NYC, Health Department says
City health officials said Friday that the case is travel related and that there is no known local transmission at this time of the mpox clade I strain of the virus.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
IMPORTANT---IMPORTANT---IMPORTANT NIH is seeking input for the NIH-wide Strategic Plan. Open to everyone but Registration is Required! Your chance to listen and get your 2 or more cents in. grants.nih.gov/news-events/...
NIH Office of Extramural Research announcements of feedback sessions for NIH-wide strategic plan for March 16 and April 8.
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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
The new controversial health funding aid packages which are replacing USAID to align with America first agenda of the current administration are reportedly linked to granting US greater access to mineral resources and harvesting sensitive health data of Africans w little reciprocity or protections
Countries in Africa which have agreed to new health aid packages contingent on greater access to minerals and sharing the sensitive health information of Africans.
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Theresa Kim, PhD, MS @tyk314.net · 19/02/2026
More changes at #NIH. Any foreign (even a non-HS) component needs a PF5. US-based institutions who gave sub-awards in olden times should now use the PF5. It looks to be structured like a P01.
files.simpler.grants.gov
PA-26-002: NIH Collaborative International Research Project (Parent PF5 Clinical Trial Optional)
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Implementation Science Journals @implementsci.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
🚨If you are committed to advancing implementation science, we'd love to hear from you! Implementation Science Communications is recruiting additional Editors to join our Editorial Board. Apply here 👉 link.springer.com/journal/4305... #ImpSci #ImpSciComms
link.springer.com
Implementation Science Communications
Implementation Science Communications, an official companion journal to Implementation Science, is a forum to publish research to foster the uptake of ...
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Bhattacharya testified that he's taking this issue seriously, but I just spoke with a researcher who had completed all the screening and was disinvited from NIAID's council *today*. NIAID's council is set to run out of voting members in October. No grants can be funded without Council.
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Still digging through this thorough report from @sanders.senate.gov. I want to flag this screenshot of what program staff receive when studies include "terms potentially associated with misalignment with agency priorities" (Newspeak for 'banned words')
A screen shot of a spreadsheet with NIH research that needs remediation because it contains terms like "health equity" and "racial and/or ethnic disparities" and "pregnant individuals"
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Because I had to... Another email to Director Bhattacharya [about his retweeting misinformation about the response to AIDS] 1/5
Dear Director Bhattacharya:  Someone shared a retweet from your account on "X" with me. You retweeted Dr. Joseph Marine (now a physician at Johns Hopkins) who commented on how the AIDS epidemic was handled very differently from the COVID pandemic, based on his experience as a medical student in the San Francisco Bay area in 1988.

I hope you are just ignorant about why his statement is deeply inaccurate and are not just spreading misinformation and basking in his expressed adoration of you.
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
I'm at the Willard Hotel where I've been denied entry and kicked out of the Reclaiming Science event with NIH director Bhattacharya & other top agency leaders. @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social and I registered for the event months ago yet were told capacity was full, even as they let in dozens of others.
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Theresa Kim, PhD, MS @tyk314.net · 28/01/2026
So #HIV/AIDS date change notice just went up on #NIH grants site...
grants.nih.gov
NOT-OD-26-029: NIH Removing AIDS Application Due Dates from NOFOs
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: NIH Removing AIDS Application Due Dates from NOFOs NOT-OD-26-029. NIH
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Theresa Kim, PhD, MS @tyk314.net · 24/01/2026
Our continuing resolution is in its final week. Stay tuned and stay connected with the #NIH. We are here in our personal capacities. Our posts aren't necessarily the views held by NIH, HHS, or the Federal Government.
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
🚨 New from me: Grant review at more than half of NIH's institutes could be frozen by the end of the year. That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027. A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications. A short 🧵
nature.com
Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026
Thirteen of the agency’s advisory councils, which must review grant applications before funding is awarded, are on track to have no voting members.
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Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
OMFG, what utterly grotesque racism from RFK Jr’s HSS
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Theresa Kim, PhD, MS @tyk314.net · 25/09/2025
The end of FY 2025 is coming, and #OMB appears perfectly content to use us as targets. We are not their chess pieces. We serve our PIs. We are here in our personal capacities. Follow the #NIH.
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Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD @radhikalu.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
🥳
theguardian.com
Controversial US study on hepatitis B vaccines in Africa is cancelled
$1.6m project drew outrage over ethical questions about withholding vaccines proven to prevent disease
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Reposted by Radhika Sundararajan MD PhD
Philadelphia Inquirer Sports @phillysport.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
The Eagles announced Tuesday Kevin Patullo had been removed as offensive coordinator two days after they were knocked from the NFL playoffs in a 23-19 home defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
A photo of Kevin Patullo with a label in white text near the bottom that says "Breaking" in white text with a red line underneath." Below that is a headline in white text that says "Kevin Patullo out as Eagles offensive coordinator." The subhead says "The Eagles have a player caller opening, two days after their playoff loss to the 49ers."
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PLOS Global Public Health @plosglobalpublichealth.org · 12/01/2026
New research by authors from @weillcornell.bsky.social et al: Tuberculosis screening and care delivery in pregnant and postpartum persons living with HIV in Botswana journals.plos.org/globalpublic...
journals.plos.org
Tuberculosis screening and care delivery in pregnant and postpartum persons living with HIV in Botswana
Tuberculosis (TB) disease during pregnancy, particularly in persons living with HIV (PLHIV), is associated with poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. There are barriers to TB screening and care for PLH...
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WIRED @wired.com · 08/01/2026
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
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Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
A quick collaboration with the wonderful Rachel Bender Ignacio, Jade Pagkas-Bather and Sara Gianella. "Why Americans are Dying Younger? NIH Is Not the Problem. Our Broken Healthcare Delivery Is." academic.oup.com/jid/article/...
academic.oup.com
Why Americans are Dying Younger? NIH Is Not the Problem. Our Broken Healthcare Delivery Is
Despite leading the world in biomedical innovation, the United States faces declining health outcomes due to fragmented care, inequities, and political att
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Oni Blackstock, MD MHS @oniblackstock.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
"She said that lenacapavir has become a kind of diplomatic carrot — and stick. Friendly, compliant governments, like Eswatini, have received early shipments, whereas South Africa or Nigeria — countries that have fallen out of favor with Trump — seem to have received the short end of the stick."
vox.com
The US is fast-tracking this important HIV drug — for everyone except South Africa
Why the Trump administration is cutting out a country that needs it most.
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