Katie Baldwin

The Coming Out of a Transgender Scientist "I know that I am making the right decision because whenever I think about changing my gender role, I am flooded with feelings of relief."

We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.

Delighted to learn I had some sense of style today, twinning with @liddelowsa.bsky.social @ #GRCGlia25

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Oh you want to know the #5thingsIDidThisWeek, sure here are the 5 accomplishments to subvert/prevent the hostile "cold war" coup that is taking over our democracy 1. Talked to a reporter at the NYT about the tragic state of US science (on my own time)

Trump halts medical research funding in apparent violation of judge’s order Health department orders NIH to hold Federal Register submissions – critical step in process for funding studies

Guardian story about Federal Register issue is up.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

friends, I'm feeling just a little discouraged today

Spent hours this week talking to reporters at Boston Globe and WBUR on the impact of proposed cuts to NIH, something I know a lot about and impacts me personally. Many voices are starting to speak up but the onslaught is truly overwhelming

Democracy is Crumbling. Is Anybody Doing Anything? Yes. And You Can Too.

Yes. “People are doing things. You will meet them when YOU start doing things.”

Lots of information and resources in this one.

open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...

Monday mood

You are not powerless, and he is not unstoppable. Look at, and learn from, the funding freeze and how quickly he was forced to surrender.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

After a long therapy session, my plan is to:

Be informed without being overwhelmed.

Be proactive in protecting my wellbeing so I can keep showing up for my students & community.

Continue fighting alongside others for what we know is right.

Find the light & be the light for as long as I can ✨

Started off this morning emailing my Senators and Congressman about the NIH and the potential damage being done by unnecessary disruptions.

They need to hear from us loud and clear. Constituents matter to them as one of the primary purposes of a politician is to get re-elected (and its their job).

DO IT

NIH In Your State - United For Medical Research Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America.

I just reached out to my senators about the NIH situation. If you need to find out how much impact NIH has in your state in terms of dollars in and their economic impact here's a link: www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-...

Gentle reminder that if you truly value diversity in the workforce, top down executive orders may/will change implementation but it shouldn’t change your dedication to building the best possible team/group/cohort/generation of researchers

HepaCAM controls astrocyte self-organization and coupling - PubMed Astrocytes extensively infiltrate the neuropil to regulate critical aspects of synaptic development and function. This process is regulated by transcellular interactions between astrocytes and neurons...

For an example, see Fig S5 and S6 here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34171291/

We use this one and works very well in mouse brain sections. We do floating sections, 1:1000. We use Alexa Fluor conjugated secondaries at 1:200. www.emdmillipore.com/US/en/produc...

Time zones are fascinating. Australia is already in 2025, Europe is still 2024, and the USA is currently in 1939.

I really can’t fathom that it’s been a year. I am so grateful to spend this NYE at home as a family of 4. If you made it to the end of this thread, thanks for reading. I’m sharing for my own therapeutic purposes and to provide an example of how life happens concurrently with science/academia.
/end

It has been an absolutely wild year. Our sweet boy was born with bilateral clubfoot (diagnosed on anatomy scan). We’ve had so many doctor’s appointments and so many tough long days. He is doing so well now, and loves laughing with his older brother, and crawling and climbing over everything
8/

Though he was a preemie, we avoided the NICU. We scrambled to find care for our 3 year old, until we could get family in town. We were home from the hospital on January 4th. We joked that the baby just wanted to be home in time to watch Michigan play for the national championship.
7/

My husband had the day off, so he took our 3 yo to daycare and came to hang out with me. At 11:30am, we were trying to figure out what to get for lunch when contractions started back up. Just three hours later, our baby arrived safe and sound.
6/

The contractions eventually went away. On the morning of January 2nd, I messaged the folks in my lab to let them know I would likely be in the hospital for another couple weeks and would be bored out of my mind. I made plans for some meetings and lunches, as I was just down the street.
5/

I watched Michigan play Alabama in the College Football Playoff. If you know me, you know I bleed Maize and Blue. I had started having some contractions and was hooked up to the monitor and had to inform the nursing staff that the pulse increases were induced by the stress of the game 😂
4/

However, as I read more about placental abruption, and how it can be fatal to both baby and mom, my focus shifted: my new goal was to keep myself and my baby alive and to make it to 37 weeks for an induction.
3/

During the first day of my stay, I was so focused on getting out of the hospital. I wanted to spend the remainder of the holiday with my husband and three year old. We had fun activities planned for our last bit of time as a family of 3.
2/

One year ago today, at 35 weeks pregnant, I went to the hospital for what I hoped would be a quick check on some unexpected symptoms. I ended up being admitted for concern over placental abruption and spent New Year’s in the antepartum unit of the UNC Women’s hospital. 1/

Luckily we planned to drive, so we could adjust in case kids got sick 😅

So…anyone else have “ruptured eardrum and RSV two days before planned trip to visit family for the holidays” on their bingo card? 🫠