Cohen Lab @Cornell

Delighted to see a @cornellrepro.bsky.social alumna, Dr. Jordana Bloom, back at Cornell talking about her postdoctoral work on menopause.

Bravo for speaking up and thank you for your service to public health

My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

BREAKING (AGAIN): The White House said it has fired CDC director Susan Monarez, who clashed with
@seckennedy.govpeeps.us over vaccine policy. Confirmed by the Senate, she had refused to resign unless the WH fired her.

GIFT: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/h...

A hero. I got to meet Dr. Daskalakis at the White House when he was the deputy coordinator of the White House Mpox Response. His public service made the country safer.

RFK must resign.

New C.D.C. Director Is Fired, Trump Administration Says

CDC WRAPUP: A White House spokesman emailed me at 9:30 p.m. to say that Susan Monarez, the CDC director, has been fired.

This came after days of back-and-forth in which RFK Jr. tried to force her out and she refused. 4 other top CDC officials have quit.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/h...

I signed!

Substantial update to Fifty Shades of Jay

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

More to come...

A cover labeled "Fifty Shades of 'Jay' by Jeremy M Berg

Several people have suggested that I compile my emails to Bhattacharya and I am delighted to do so.

Announcing the first cut of "Fifty Shades of 'Jay'

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

This contains just the first few exchanges. I will be adding more as time permits.

Thanks for your contributions to a great conversation, Paulo!

I’m still recovering emotionally from learning this week that I’ve been saying octopi wrong all these years 😢

Shout out to the WSJ journalists who reported on Vought’s impoundment by footnote, causing the White House to walk it back. Impact journalism!!

This is insane - all NIH funding halted and then restarted within 5 hours. The ship is being steered by morons!

Today #NIH leadership were told no funds can go out for research project grants, R&D contracts or training grants.

We have just a couple weeks to get funds out the door before Russel Vought attempts a #PocketRescission on Aug 15.

Even if this ends up being temporary, it’s time we don’t have.

it IS the cool cell cycle, after all!

I've only had it a few months.
tell you what, I'll swap my plate choosing skills for your cocktail making skills, then we will both be as cool as each other 😍

it's me :) [as I told @spo11rulz.bsky.social, how on earth was that plate not already taken?!]\

Trump administration blocks NIH from awarding any research grants and contracts The order applies to the entirety of new and, possibly, ongoing research grant dollars that go to universities and academic medical centers.

STAT Story

www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/t...

1/n

Trump Administration Puts New Chokehold on Billions in Health-Research Funding The National Institutes of Health can’t award grants to outside researchers under a new White House restriction.

WSJ story about OMB blocking NIH spending and grant making

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

1/n

NCI’s 4%ile payline *may* be just a one time thing to absorb the multi-year funding mandate. But what if this is the new normal, combined with 6-apps limits?

a black background with the words heroes at work ALT: a black background with the words heroes at work

The #BethesdaDeclaration stories are now up on the front pages of both the New York Times and the Washington Post.

Thanks again to the brave folks at NIH who stood up and worked together to make this happen.

1/n

True portraits in courage!

I couldn’t be more proud of this tremendous work by Dr @awood2.bsky.social in my lab, co-led by myself and @idwolff.bsky.social. Anna worked tirelessly to conduct a comprehensive analysis of female meiosis, showing that CNTD1 plays role in crossover designation and checkpoint regulation in females.

Same at Cornell!

Exceptionally proud to have hood four new Cohen lab PhDs yesterday. Go out into the world and continue to do amazing things, Drs. Wood, Tanis, Simon, and Carr! I am so so proud of you all! @awood2.bsky.social

America cannot long remain free, nor first among nations, if it becomes the kind of place where universities are dismantled because they don't align politically with the current head of the government.

Two possible reasons for this are:

1.) Women, POC and/or disabled people are more likely to do equity oriented work

2.) Women, POC and/or disabled people have been marked as DEI regardless of what they do

The government will try to point to the former reason when it is in reality the latter

Bernie Sanders' office has put out a report this morning on Trump's NIH cuts: "Trump officials effectively cut $2.7 billion in [NIH] funding in the first three months of 2025 – including a 31 percent cut to cancer research through March, compared to the same timeframe last year."

TRO

Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of CA issues the below order. It pauses all RIF-related actions across the gov’t for two weeks, because she concludes that these RIFs likely illegally usurp Congress’ authority by reorganizing agencies. Hearing in 2 wks to consider a prelim injunction.