Kimberly Nelson PhD, MPH

mass grant terminations might be over for now, but their impact still harms people who were in the studies, including kids & teens. @knelphd.bsky.social @amyknopf.bsky.social and I wrote about ethical implications of abruptly ending studies for political reasons publications.aap.org/pediatrics/a...

ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF STUDY TERMINATIONS As of July 2025, the National Institutes of Health has terminated approx- imately 4700 of the grants it awarded for scientific research, training, and infrastructure.1 Very little of the public discourse regarding the grant ter- minations has focused on their implications for research participants who were or would have been enrolled in the trials the grants supported. The terminated awards are linked to 200 active registered clinical trials, which had a total planned enrollment of more than 689 000 human subjects, approximately 20% of whom are infants, children, and adolescents.1 Nearly all the affected trials that included children and adolescents focused on stigmatized health issues (eg, HIV, substance use, depression), and/or persons with marginalized identities (eg, sexual and gender minor- ity; Black or African American and Latiné). Individuals with marginalized identities are underrepresented in clinical research,2 even when they are at greater risk for the illness under study. The issue of underrepresenta- tion in research is especially relevant for minor adolescents (those youn- ger than 18 years old) because of ethical and legal barriers to their participation. Barriers include concerns about minors’ capacity to consent, confidentiality of sensitive information (sexual behavior, substance use) when parental consent is required, and researcher and institutional con- cerns about liability when waivers of parental consent are granted for minors’ enrollment.3 As adolescent health researchers, we have each invested over a decade of work to address the complex ethical and legal issues that prevent ado- lescents from participating in research, especially on sensitive or stigma- tized health issues. Through meticulous efforts to engage and build trust with adolescents, parents or guardians, and regulatory personnel, we have enrolled thousands of adolescents in our studies...

Amelia Knopf, @karmacap.bsky.social and @knelphd.bsky.social write in Pediatrics about how the terminations of clinical trials of children and adolescents represent cracks in the foundation of ethical research, and the moral responsibility to repair them: doi.org/10.1542/peds...

Come cross the finish line with us this morning in our quest to save AIDS research. We have some terrific speakers to end our marathon! Go to saveaidsresearch.org or join the livestream now on You Tube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3wx....

Exploring State- and Individual-Level Characteristics Associated with Perceived Barriers to Accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Among Young Adult Black Women Young adult Black women (YABW) report inadequate access to and experiences receiving sexual and reproductive health care. The purpose of this research was to examine perceived barriers to care amon...

Just published in #JSexResearch Exploring State- and Individual-Level Characteristics Associated with Perceived Barriers to Accessing Sexual & Reproductive Health Care Among Young Adult Black Women
@knelphd.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I'm reviewing applications for the University of Washington's PhD program this fall.

Applicants interested in the Clinical Psychology, Social-Personality (emphasis on personality), or Quantitative programs are welcome to apply.

More information here: sites.google.com/uw.edu/radla...

So excited to be launching this new program!! Please help us spread the word!!!

14 teens. 10 weeks. 1 powerful mission: save lives. 💙

O’Bryant High School students in @bostonschools.boston.gov teamed up with @busph.bsky.social and @bmchealthsystem.bsky.social to create a peer-led #overdoseprevention program. Please share their work!

More info at: bit.ly/3Jlo3Jb

N.I.H. Workers Denounce Trump’s ‘Harmful’ Health Policies

I stand strong with the civil servants at NIH who are not only doing science but defending science by demanding that the administration not abandon lifesaving research mandated by law. Putting NIH research on hold puts people’s lives at risk.

Today, my NIH colleagues and I did something scary but really important. We spoke up about egregious harms we are seeing happen to research participants and public health through thoughtless and politicized policies at NIH. 🧵1/3

apnews.com/article/nih-...

Bethesda Declaration — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE Support NIH Staff Now!

The Bethesda Declaration: A Call for NIH and HHS Leadership to Deliver on Promises of Academic Freedom and Scientific Excellence
www.standupforscience.net/bethesda-dec...

Data request: any APHA or UAW members impacted by NIH grant terminations are encouraged to visit the link below by MONDAY 5/19. The goal is to provide the court with info about which grants have been affected and the number of people impacted if the judge issues relief in the matter of APHA v NIH.

The NIH Is Requiring Grantees to Follow Trump’s Anti-Trans Executive Order At least two institutions have been directed to comply with the order as a condition of getting NIH funding, marking a new front in the administration’s efforts to reshape the scientific ecosystem.

NEW: At least two institutions have been directed to comply with Trump’s anti-trans executive order as a condition of getting NIH grants, according to letters I've seen. The policy marks a new front in the administration's efforts to reshape the science ecosystem.

www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

Trump’s NIH Axed Research Grants Even After a Judge Blocked the Cuts, Internal Records Show A lawsuit led by the Washington state attorney general offers an unprecedented view of the termination of more than 600 NIH grants, including transgender research grants threatened by Trump’s executiv...

NEW: Whistleblower records show that the NIH axed research grants – even after a federal judge blocked the cuts with an injunction.

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

🧵

the word alert is in a purple circle ALT: the word alert is in a purple circle

ACTION ITEM-----ACTION ITEM

Implementation of Schedule F

This is what a lot of us have been worried about.

This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. This could include NIH institute directors and even POs.

BUT THERE IS A COMMENT PERIOD...

1/n

Science Organizations Should Protest Loudly against Trump Cuts Similar to other professions, science has organizations that represent scientists and the research they do. Too many are staying silent as Trump dismantles research

“I urge you to ask: What is my professional society actively doing to protect science right now?

And if the answer is “nothing,” perhaps it’s time to rethink your membership.

Because silence isn't neutrality. It’s complicity. And science deserves better.”
www.scientificamerican.com/article/trum...

🚨 BREAKING: I'm suing #RFKJr @ #HHS & #JayBhattacharya @ #NIH

Canceling medical research grants threatens innovations benefiting ALL Americans, no matter your politics! 🇺🇸

Thanks to my lawyers @aclu.org @aclum.bsky.social @protectdemocracy.org & @cspi.bsky.social

Long 🧵 on why I'm suing 👇

1/

‘One of the darkest days’: NIH purges agency leadership amid mass layoffs In shock move, four institute directors at the US biomedical agency are removed from their posts.

“This will go down as one of the darkest days in modern scientific history in my 50 years in the business,” says Michael Osterholm, an infectious-diseases epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. “These are going to be huge losses to the research community.”

Petition: SBM Board Sign-On to Lawsuit to Reverse NIH Grant Cancellations Scientists at SBM have had federal grants canceled. The ACLU is suing to challenge these cancellations, with APHA and other organizations joining as signatories. This form collects signatures from S...

If you’re at #SBM2025 or are an @sbm.org member please sign this petition asking our organization to stand up for members whose federal funds have been terminated - please share and sign by Sat. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

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🚀 Big reveal! Introducing our interactive table on NIH grant terminations, supercharged from the original Google tracker! 📊👇

Help us uncover which NIH grants are tagged for termination and why! 🕵️🔍

1 / 🧵

#HealthEquity #MedSky #PublicHealth

Please take a second to read my statement on the termination of the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV Interventions. This is devastating to science but even more so to the youth impacted. Thank you

Scientist speaks out after NIH terminates grants including study of LGBTQ+ teens' mental health Dr. Brittany Charlton is speaking out after the NIH terminated all of her grants studying how discriminatory laws impact mental health among LGBTQ+ teens.

@britshmit.bsky.social continues to speak out for all of us impacted by NIH grant terminated because of inclusion of LGBTQIA+ populations. abcnews.go.com/Health/scien...

On Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 workers across the country are standing up and demanding NO cuts to education and life-saving research. www.killthecuts.org

It’s been a devastating 24 hours with 3 NIH grants terminated…all focused on the health and wellbeing of trans or intersex youth. If folks have any ideas of foundations that may be interested in supporting the completion of these projects so years of work aren’t wasted, please let me know. 🙏

Universities have been one of the greatest engines of knowledge generation and upward mobility we have ever had. Plenty to critique and mock in academia, but if this mission to destroy universities succeeds, our kids will have fewer opportunities and our economy will be harmed for generations.

if you've had an NIH grant terminated, I want to hear about it. Signal: katherinejwu.12

Woman at the Stand Up for Science rally in Boston with sign that says “Nobody puts science in the corner!” And the Pride flag on it.

Crowd at the stand up for science rally in Boston

@standupforscience.bsky.social rally in Boston!!

Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity and DEI in the biomedical workforce could be terminated, according to documents obtained by Nature.

NEW: The NIH has begun terminating grants for active projects studying gender identity, DEI, environmental justice, climate change, among other topics.

At least 16 termination letters have already been sent — and hundreds more are coming, people inside NIH tell me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Boston, MA Location: Massachusetts State House 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA, United States Address: 24 Beacon St., Boston, MA, 02133 Time: 12-4 PM Important information: Please do not fully block the sidewalk, st…

Science is under attack. Please consider joining your local rally and if one is not near you, the website also has other ways to support! ✊ standupforscience2025.org/boston-ma/

Just received notice that our grant was terminated. 5R24AG066599-03
TheRiseRegistry.org

YouTube video by friendsofUSAID Save Foreign Aid

Thank you to everyone who stands with USAID. Share far and wide. Unfortunately we don’t have $40 million to buy up ads during the Super Bowl. Even if we did, we’d use it to support the U.S. economy while feeding kids around the globe.

#StandWithUSAID
#SaveForeignAid

m.youtube.com/watch?v=PqUE...