Ian L Morgan

I'm proud to see that my union, UAW, is a plaintiff in this lawsuit. These H1-B visa fees would decimate our biomedical workforce. Support your unions!

Thanks for hosting this amazing event @standupforscience.bsky.social! Amidst being furloughed, it was uplifting to spend time with so many other great science advocates!

Assignment accepted. I'm an overachiever and furloughed, so two op-eds coming right up. Who's going to join me?

Kennedy Fires N.I.H. Scientist Who Filed Whistle-Blower Complaint

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo had directed the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases. 3 weeks after filing a whistle-blower complaint, RFK fired her. Trump has destroyed the ability to respond w/ retaliation complaints, so Marrazzo is appealing to Congess.

1/2

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/h...

Using my time on furlough to go to this to great #scienceundersiege book event with @michaelemann.bsky.social and @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social! We are facing a Tolkien-esque attack on science, but there are great things in this world, and they are worth fighting for.

Medical experts slam Trump administration on Tylenol and autism link at Pa. House hearing Three medical experts with decades of experience in autism and epidemiology on Tuesday slammed Trump administration federal officials for spreading disinformation and distrust with new guidance falsel...

TYLENOL—“Why hasn’t the CDC refuted it? Well, RFK Jr. fired CDC director Monarez....and the acting director has no medical background is a speechwriter for Bush. So if you’re a speechwriter, you too can become a CDC director someday if you really believe in yourself”
www.pennlive.com/politics/202...

Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown Some employees at the Department of Education changed their responses back to the more neutral language, only to have it changed yet again to the partisan response, multiple sources tell WIRED.

From the Office of Special Counsel, which it's worth noting has been furloughed, an agency official shall not coerce the political activity of any person or retaliate against an employee for refusing to engage in political activity. 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(3)

Antibacterial resistance is threatening common medical procedures such as c-sections and chemotherapy because of the risk of untreatable infections. My work focuses on combatting this by studying antibacterials and helping improve them. Over the past year, the chaos has kept me from doing this work.

Sorry you have to deal with all of this nonsense. I'm looking forward to seeing you at your book event in DC this evening!

The Scientific Case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion In light of attacks on DEI, we gathered articles that lay out the evidence in favor of fostering racially diverse and equitable schools, workplaces, cities, and societies.

Once more with feeling, as well as conviction and hard data:

"The Scientific Case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion"

greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...

Pressure to reject the compact should come from all sides:

Alumni, students, current employees, AND anyone who engages with people or work from the institution, high school students looking to attend, etc.

We say NO.

@standupforscience.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference

This is extortion. Faculty, students, staff, alumni across the country need to get to their Presidents & Trustees today. Just say no. This blackmail only works if most everyone folds. Capitulation now means the end of American higher education for a generation. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

In the reporter's defense, they included that fact in their story. But, the headline is missing the important nuance.

Patent Office Lays Off Staff as Government Shutdown Begins (2) The US Patent and Trademark Office laid off certain employees early Wednesday as a part of a reduction-in-force plan, according to multiple sources.

And, so the RIFs begin. The US Patent and Trademark Office is not affected by a government shutdown, because they are funded by user fees. That means these RIFs are not due to the shutdown. The timing is either coincidental, or the shutdown is being used as a smokescreen.

Sure, I have some time right now. I'll DM you, and we can chat.

Welp, as of today, I'm furloughed from my job as an NIH scientist for the foreseeable future. If you have questions about the furlough or what's going on, AMA.

Submit a public comment today! You can help support biomedical research by ensuring the United States can keep recruiting the best and brightest young researchers from around the world.

Recently I learned that civil servants have the First Amendment-protected right to speak out on matters of public concern.

Thurgood Marshall, in an 8-1 SCOTUS decision, noted that government employees know how the gov’t works, and the public has a special interest in hearing from them.

I just got back from a conference/work trip to Europe, and graduate students kept telling me how they want to come do biomedical research in the Unites States, but that rule changes like these are scaring them away.

Fired But Fighting Fired But Fighting is a network of former CDC professionals, including scientists, communicators, policy analysts, public health experts, who are standing together to demand transparency, accountabili...

Firedbutfighting.org

Feel free to use language from the National Postdoc Association's statement in your comments.

www.nationalpostdoc.org/resource/res...

Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media Unlike most nonimmigrant classifications, which are admitted for a fixed time period, aliens in the F (academic student), J (exchange visitor), and most I (representatives of foreign information media...

DHS is proposing a rule that would end "duration of status" for J, F and other visa holders. This would decimate the international graduate student and postdoc population, which are a crucial part of the United States biomedical workforce. There's still time for you to comment on the proposed rule.

Just got this RFK Jr brainworm sticker from @firedbutfighting.bsky.social! They have a great shop, and the money goes to a good cause!

White House considers funding advantage for colleges that align with Trump policies The proposal has the potential to transform the government’s vast research funding operation, which has long awarded university grants based on scientific merit.

Every reporter that covers the NIH should be asking Director Bhattacharya whether he supports this and, if so, how this is part of "depoliticizing" biomedical research.

I always appreciate an emperors new groove reference 👏

Sharing stories matters. If you’ve faced grant terminations, funding delays, loss of research jobs, etc., your voice is needed. Help show the real impact of NIH funding interference - tell your story so we don’t lose innovation, cures, and hope for the future. www.27unihted.org/biohealthbeats

🎉🎉🎉Shout out to Kaiser Permanente - they recently updated their website to say that they WILL be covering COVID-19 vaccines all of their members 6 months old and up!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

Thank you KP - let's hope their announcement kicks off more like it

kp.org/covidvaccine

Update 3: I just walked into the same CVS that denied me. I didn't have an appointment. They didn't ask me to attest to having an underlying medical condition. I just my COVID shot. If you have trouble, call your reps. You can speak up and change things.

Update 3: I just walked into the same CVS that denied me. I didn't have an appointment. They didn't ask me to attest to having an underlying medical condition. I just my COVID shot. If you have trouble, call your reps. You can speak up and change things.

Impeach Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (UPDATED 9/4) ⭑ 5 Calls Updates August 28, 2025: After only four weeks on the job, CDC director Susan Monarez has been fired from her position for not rubber stamping the …

Everyone across the country should be calling their reps to ask for these changes in their states and telling them to get rid of Secretary Kennedy for making these changes necessary. 5calls.org/issue/rfk-hh...