Jo Handelsman, PhD

Researchers at UW–Madison Receive Major Grant to Study the Link Between Mental Health and the Microbiome Vincent van Gogh - Self-portrait with bandaged ear (1889, Courtauld Institute) Long before science caught up, Vincent Van Gogh sensed a connection between melancholy and microbes. In a letter

Long before science caught up, Vincent Van Gogh sensed a connection between melancholy and microbes. Now, 135 years later, WID, @centerhealthyminds.bsky.social, PRECISE, and MIT have a project that investigates the microbiome’s role in human well-being and the power of interdisciplinary research.

Congrats to the June 2025 cohort of TEPIs! Ten instructors from three countries participated in Canada’s first TEPI training at Carleton University in Ottawa where they learned how to implement the Tiny Earth research flow and scientific teaching principles. Welcome to the Tiny Earth community!

www.regulations.gov/commenton/OP...

Calling all scientists to comment on this proposed rule by June 7th.

The Administration proposes to change positions of scientific officers in federal agencies to political appointees. If you wish to learn more or comment, the Federal Register is open for comment until June 7.

Today CLS objected to the proposed politicization of staff positions at US Science Agencies, particularly program managers whose expertise is critical to a strong and vibrant innovation ecosystem.

#ScheduleF

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Deaths from heart disease down 75%, that’s NIH.

Deaths from stroke down 75%, that’s NIH.

HIV/AIDS no longer a death sentence, that’s NIH.

99% of FDA approved drugs in the last decade, that’s NIH.

Please show this video to anyone who doesn’t understand why the NIH is so important.

NEW: Per multiple sources, the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Advisors has been entirely disbanded.

ASM Conference on Biofilms 2025 call for abstracts now open.

Call for Abstracts now open for the 2025 ASM Conference on Biofilms! Submit your abstract and showcase your innovative research to a global audience of peers and professionals. 📢 Submit your research: asm.social/2o5

CLS stormed Capitol Hill Thursday, delivering our message of the terrible consequences from abrupt terminations of grants.

www.coalitionforlifesciences.org/cls-calls-on...

@needhibhalla.bsky.social @johandelsman.bsky.social

antiSMASH 8.0: extended gene cluster detection capabilities and analyses of chemistry, enzymology, and regulation Abstract. Microorganisms synthesize small bioactive compounds through their secondary or specialized metabolism. Those compounds play an important role in

antiSMASH8: The Ocho

Manuscript is out!
doi.org/10.1093/nar/...

CLS Calls on the Trump Administration to Restore Research Funding - The Coalition for the Life Sciences On April 14, 2025, CLS Chair Jo Handelsman and Exec Director Adrienne Hallett sent a letter outlining the tremendous consequences of terminating research and asking that it be reinstated.

Please share the letter from the Coalition for the Life Sciences re termination of ongoing NIH grants. It's a breach trust betw researchers and govt, bad for trainees, potentially fatal for patients in clinical trials, and diminishes the US science. www.coalitionforlifesciences.org/cls-calls-on...

Opinion | The Authoritarian Endgame on Higher Education This is a moment to trumpet the strengths of higher education and address its weaknesses.

Strong column from @nytimes.com editorial board. “The people who are attacking higher education are talking nonstop,” said Holden Thorp. “And the people leading higher education are not saying very much.” www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/o...

NIH funding cuts 'a travesty to biomedical research,' says UW research director Layoffs are likely and clinical trials could be interrupted if funding is cut, Jo Handelsman says.

Did you miss my @npr.org Wisconsin Today interview with Kate Archer Kent? You're in luck. Here it is again with a transcript! www.wpr.org/news/nih-fun...

Federal Funding Cuts Could Be “Disastrous” for UW by City Cast Madison

“To be blunt, it’s disastrous if it would happen.” I spoke to City Cast Madison host Bianca Martin on today’s podcast about proposed federal funding cuts to science.

Come together, right now The chaos, conflicting information, firings, and hurtful rhetoric of the Trump administration’s approach to science over the past month are causing anxiety, grief, and concern for the scientific commu...

The response of the science community to the last month is not about one statement or action. It's about all of us with our different frames. For Science's part, we are doing what we have always done and have no plans to change. My thoughts on what we can do. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Some NIH study sections will resume reviewing grants, but final funding decisions are still in limbo While some NIH study sections will resume, advisory council meetings, which make final funding decisions, seem to still be held up.

www.statnews.com/2025/02/24/s...

Support our early career scientists. We're seeing more posts like these. It's a tough time in science and we must provide kindness and support to others to cope with the uncertainty.

Avian influenza has a >50% mortality rate in humans. Why is there so little concern? The 1918 influenza had a 2.5% mortality rate and it caused deaths of 50-100 million people when the world's population was only 1.9 Billion. cdn.who.int/media/docs/d....

See Coalition for the Life Sciences' letter to the Senate Committee on Finance and HELP Committee about the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
www.coalitionforlifesciences.org/to-the-senat... and www.coalitionforlifesciences.org/to-the-senat...

The Coalition for the Life Sciences posted information that every scientist should know about F&A costs. www.coalitionforlifesciences.org/facilities-a.... See also Q&A about indirect costs. www.coalitionforlifesciences.org/wp-content/u...

homepage - The Coalition for the Life Sciences

See posts on @c4lifesciences.bsky.social and at website www.coalitionforlifesciences.org for responses to Federal actions about science.

Federal judge extends restraining order on Trump administration's cap on NIH indirect costs Judge Angel Kelley kept in place an order blocking the Trump administration from implementing a 15% cap on NIH indirect cost payments

#Breaking - Federal judge extends restraining order on Trump administration’s cap on NIH indirect costs

Wisconsin Today “Wisconsin Today” explores the people, places and ideas shaping life in Wisconsin. Join hosts Rob Ferrett and Kate Archer Kent for news and in-depth conversations that you can’t find anywhere else. Do...

THIS MORNING AT 9:00! Listen to @johandelsman.bsky.social speak on Wisconsin Today about the struggle with scientific funding and the ripple effect it will have on everyday Americans. www.wpr.org/shows/wiscon...

InsideWis: NIH-funded research produces cures, treatments and jobs, even if it takes time - Wisconsin Technology Council By Tom Still MADISON, Wis. – Howard Temin was a UW-Madison scientist who shared the 1975 Nobel Prize for his discovery of “reverse transcriptase,” which described how tumor viruses act on the genetic ...

InsideWis: NIH-funded research produces cures, treatments and jobs, even if it takes time - Wisconsin Technology Council wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/insidewis-ni...

Guest column: “The war on discovery” is antithesis of campaign pledge to make America great again - Wisconsin Technology Council By Jo Handelsman MADISON, Wis. – Make America Great Again. Make America Healthy Again. These were promises made by candidate Trump in his campaign to be president of the United States of America. What...

"Make America Great Again. Make America Healthy Again. These were promises made by candidate Trump in his campaign to be president of the United States of America. What in this campaign platform should have prepared us for a war on discovery?"