Rachel Ross, MD, PhD

Dear academic internet friends, I’m working on an R01 on our novel early life model of food insecurity, which the federal govt no longer recognizes (as of ~1 week ago cancelling the annual report). Should I re-write my 3 line public health narrative (bonkers) to de-center that topic?

This. Read the article by @tressiemcphd.bsky.social it is wide angle, big picture, thought-provoking, critical reading for anyone who’s still trying to “understand” what’s happening all around us (in the US). www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/o...

It’s not just that video is too slow. It is that. It’s also not my own understanding happening. I also truly believe that the mind and life I want to have does not happen through watching but does through reading. Wild that this is even a little bit provocative but I suspect that mostly just online

People get so angry about this, I’ve found that interesting. There is definitely some resistance to the idea of reading, not just the act of doing it.

But yeah I am not watching a video, ever, if I can help it.

This wknd, WSJ reported the Dept of Ag is ending its annual report on household food security. Started in the 1990s to help state and local officials distribute food assistance. Last year’s report found that 18 million U.S. households experienced food insecurity during 2023.

It is SO insanely cool. Clinically we don’t expect to see changes in “intelligence scales” in adulthood. But hello primary cilia - let’s figure you out!

I highly recommend reading the discussion that one reviewer called “highly significant, as it suggests MC4R agonists may hold therapeutic potential…for metabolic control…and neuropsychiatric well being” (thank you to reviewer 2). Cheers to more depth in the interface between these fields!

I’m proud of this work for two reasons. 1. This was Katie’s first research as a med student, and she dove deep to produce this very thoughtful manuscript 2. This puts a clinical correlate for my lab’s work out there - pharmacologically targeting the melanocortin 4 receptor affects cognitive function

Frontiers | Case Report: Improvement in cognitive functioning following setmelanotide initiation in a patient with Bardet-Biedl syndrome Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare genetic condition that results from mutations in a variety of genes crucial for ciliary transport. Consequently, patien...

Humble case report from prior Ross lab member Katie Kuk, who is now a psych intern, on the PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD OF improvement in cognitive function in a patient with a rare developmental disorder after starting a med to treat obesity. www.frontiersin.org/journals/end...

“The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest”

Breaking News: Read three top CDC officials' resignation emails. The end of an era.

Three top CDC officials resigned in protest tonight. Read the powerful resignation letters, including from @DrDemetre.bsky.social, “I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponizing of public health.”

insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-n...

To my psychiatry colleagues, here’s a helpful commentary on how to support and protect our trans patients rights and dignity in the face of current admin regime attacks. psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...

NIH progress on new R01s in FY 2025 I know Doctor Editor Director Professor Berg has more sophisticated analyses going but this simple data set made sense to me once I realized how few new R01 NIAAA has issued so far (5). Since we ar…

NIH progress on new R01s in FY 2025 drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2025/08/18/n...

Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For

Hey everybody! @drjuliawester.bsky.social and I have a new paper!

We surveyed over 800 scientists, science communicators, and science educators who use social media.

Conclusion: Scientists no longer find Twitter useful or pleasant, and many have switched to Bluesky! 🧪🌎🦑

doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

Exclusive: NIH to dismiss dozens of grant reviewers to align with Trump priorities The move would undo years of work, leaving advisory councils understaffed, and without the full expertise needed for reviews.

NEW: In an unprecedented move, the NIH will soon disinvite dozens of scientists about to take positions on advisory councils that make final decisions on grant funding.

NIH staff were told to select others aligned with the Trump administration and told to expect placements by political appointees.

It was my favorite because she provided both a lifespan and a risk factor perspective in her work on sex differences in dementia, both rodents and humans, as we need to understand the dynamic experience of the dynamical systems (neural circuits, neuroendocrine signals, and neuroimmunology)

My favorite talk of #Endo2025 is @liisagalea.bsky.social but also the entire sex differences session full of things we know but for some reason have ignored: females are different than males. Not more complex. Not more dynamic. Different. It’s not sexist to use funds to study this; it’s necessary.

And don’t take my word for it, here’s the NIH itself on why humane animal research is necessary to appreciate biology in dynamic systems grants.nih.gov/policy-and-c...

This link offers the opportunity to watch a lot of misinformation about replacing animal models but also offers a place to leave your commentary.

Today (5p EST) is the last day to log a comment about this policy and help NIH continue to support foundation basic science work which is necessary to understand our complex biological systems underlying both health and disease.

www.fda.gov/news-events/...

Connecting immunology and endocrinology through basic and translational research the Nicholas lab, @quinascience.bsky.social hopes to create a home for the interface at #endo2025

hey I am posting this because I didn't know it, and so others might not either: but the BBB has NOT PASSED YET-- it's passed the senate & now it must pass the house.

It's time to call reps RIGHT NOW. Johnson is going to push the vote ASAP before backlash can form so the calls need to start NOW.

I would point blank ask him how he justifies the things he has done that run counter to the promises he made to the committee that confirmed his position? What makes his knowledge and personal choices in any way more valuable than those of people with actual expertise?

two little girls are dancing on a stage and one of them is telling the other to tell her . Alt: Wwo little girls are dancing on a stage and one of them is telling the other to tell her.

🧪 BOOM: The AAU, ACE, APLU, and 13 universities just filed suit today against NSF for slashing to 15% indirect rates.

Full compliant: www.aau.edu/sites/defaul...

Updates: www.aau.edu/resources-aa...

A similar group of plaintiffs won a *permanent* injunction against a similar change at NIH.

Spread the science! Join the movement! linktr.ee/investNscience

FACULTY JOB ALERT! The Albert Einstein Dept of Neuroscience is hiring a new assistant professor in any area of neuroscience! We have funds specifically earmarked for this search. #Neuroscience #AcademicJobs #NeuroSky Job just posted: faculty-einstein.icims.com/jobs/17175/f... Please share widely!!

Happy #internationalwomensday !!! Don't let the patriarchy get you down. We outchea!

Reminder that Europepmc.org exists. In case anyone should need it for any reason.

Updated Feb 20 www.instagram.com/p/DGTBn7KRfk...

All paraphrasing / quotes of Dr Amanda Brown, PhD, John’s Hopkins associate professor of neuroscience