Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD

Anti-science bills hit statehouses, attacking longstanding public health protections More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year.

An AP investigation found that more than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses this year, part of a campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. https://to.pbs.org/43dxCkD

Start with "lo que le paso a Hawaii" and you'll see why Boricuas of all generations and ages connected deeply with this last album

My husband was detained by ICE today

Juan Muñoz, an American citizen, father of 2, and local government official, was peacefully protesting w. other elected officials. He was assaulted and taken away

I have had zero contact or updates since

#SOS
@duckworth.senate.gov @durbin.senate.gov

Congrats @pennngg.bsky.social students Briana and Leonardo! we were happy to collaborate on defining this novel human disease association for BCAT1

Please read. #NIH #shutdown

The future is visiting again! We are seeking applicants for the 7th season of MITOchats. Deadline for submission is October 17th. Visit www.mitotalks.org for details or submit your application at forms.gle/5D6vWE92yYCi...

Mario Guevara

If you were concerned about Kimmel, here's another for you…

Journalist Mario Guevara has been detained for 100+ days, ironically arrested as he reported on a "No Kings" protest.

The Trump-Vance admin just issued an order of final removal, to send him to El Salvador—where he fled from 21 years ago.

To be clear, there are no data that provide a link between short-term use of Tylenol during pregnancy and autism. In fact, one of the best prospective studies w/ sibling controls, if anything, pointed to a protective effect for use less than 7 days
acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

📽️ WATCH: Epidemiologist Erin McCanlies spent much of the past 20 years studying how parents’ exposure to toxic chemicals affects the chances that they will have an autistic child.

RFK Jr. cut her entire division — yet promises to identify the causes of autism by September: https://propub.li/4nhXQua

1956 university of Michigan Children’s Hospital. Three-year-old Peggy Kennedy enjoyed these ducklings paddling around in a tub. Peggy, a polio patient, wore a plastic chest respirator. The ducklings were donated by a local farmer to help cheer up the children.

This is what happens without vaccinations.

The ducks are adorable.

The hospitalized child with a respirator is tragic.

And now preventable.

This week (Sept 15 to 21, 2025) is Mitochondrial Disease Week
-a chance to shine light on mitochondrial disorders and the people living with them.
Light up green for mito on 20th, September.

Flyer for the Black In Neuro Conference session titled #BlackInNeuroAltCareers Symposium: ‘Beyond the Bench’, happening Thursday, September from 3:00-4:00 PM ET. The session features three speakers: Sheena M. Posey Norris, M.S., PMP., Senior Program Officer, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Korie Grayson, Ph.D., Critical & Emerging Technology Analyst, Systems Planning & Analysis; and Emmanuel Taiwo. M.S., Senior Technical Specialist - AI Security, Microsoft . Headshots of each speaker are shown alongside their names and institutions. The flyer notes it is a hybrid event with virtual registration available. Decorative borders and logos for Black In Neuro and #5YearsOfBIN are also included.

There’s more than one way to do science 🧠💼
Join us for #BlackInNeuroAltCareers: Beyond the Bench at #BINW25 — featuring Black scientists thriving in tech, policy & beyond.

🗓 Sept 11 | 🕒 3–4 PM ET

#5YearsOfBIN

I'm clapping and hoping you had a nice glass of vino ☺️

👏🏾

Great set of follows here. Diverse perspectives on all this [waves arms wildly]...

Here's a no brainer (pun intended) petition to sign!

We surveyed hundreds of biomedical researchers about the instability in federal funding. Here’s what they said “The ship is going down and we are powerless”: What scientists are saying about cuts to federal research funding.

We asked researchers across the country how federal funding changes have affected them and their labs. Their responses indicate a sense of doom and an existential crisis for science in the US: “The ship is going down and we are powerless.”

Importantly, there’s still time to fix this. 1/2

Opinion | America First? Not When It Comes to Your Health.

New York Times story with profiles of researchers whose grants were terminated.

[Gift Link]

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/o...

Rapid Response: Reinvesting in Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Research The purpose of this call for proposals is to meet the current moment by supporting timely, actionable health equity research that has been interrupted by shifts in federal funding.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is stepping up to fund some of the health equity grants that were fed to the wood-chipper. If your racial/indigenous health equity grant was funded, then that funding was rescinded, consider applying! 🧪

www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...

All About the AAP Recommended Immunization Schedule Here's what to know about the recommended immunization schedule for children and teens. The schedule is approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics and based on ongoing review of the most recent sc...

Also important this week: A trustworthy guide to childhood vaccine schedules, from actual pediatricians (many of whom saw these diseases before they could be vaccinated against).

* pin it & share it *

Ps: no, pediatricians are not pharma shills, don’t @ me
www.healthychildren.org/English/safe...

Details from an email with criteria to be included in the list As a reminder, the supplemental list will only include delayed, pending, or withdrawn applications. They must fit the following criteria: The survey respondent is an APHA and/or UAW member with some relationship to the delayed/withdrawn application at issue (e.g., PI, graduate student researcher); and The application touches on a disfavored topic (DEI, gender identity, vaccine hesitancy, Covid-19, foreign subawards, influencing public opinion, South Africa, and/or China) or The application is for a diversity pipeline program (non-exhaustive list: MOSAIC, F31 Diversity, IRACDA, MARC, ARC, IMSD, ReWARD, B-INSPIRE, CPACHE, BRAIN Initiative, Cancer Moonshot Scholars Diversity Program).

The UAW/ACLU/APHA are seeking details on NIH grant applications that were delayed or withdrawn. The previous deadline of August 4 has been extended to August 25. I’ll include screenshots of FAQs in the replies. Please share widely!

www.aclu.org/APHAvNIHform

Trump order gives political appointees vast powers over research grants Researchers are alarmed that the move might upend a long-standing tradition of peer-review for grants.

Nature story about the Executive Order...

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Dreamers Face ‘Greatest Threat’ Yet in Trump Immigrant Crackdown The DACA program has survived years of political siege—but recent arrests have dreamers shocked and worried.

Deaf guy tried to show ICE his ID. An agent grabbed it and didn't return it.

So he tried to type a message about his disability but an agent grabbed his phone.

He was left w/ no way to communicate w/ the men seizing him.

He was a DACA recipient (a "dreamer"). He spent nearly a month in detention.

Rare disease patients caught in Trump crackdown on foreign grant awards Rare disease research has been caught up in a Trump administration crackdown on NIH grants being used to support international collaborations

Rare disease research has been caught up in a Trump administration crackdown on NIH grants being used to support international collaborations www.statnews.com/2025/08/06/n...

Qué triste noticia: Muere el gigante del piano, Eddie Palmieri. Descanse en paz, maestro www.elnuevodia.com/entretenimie...

Govt Accountability Office (GAO) determines Trump admin broke the law by withholding billions in new NIH awards.

Full GAO report: www.gao.gov/assets/890/8...

NYT article (no paywall): archive.is/202508051916...

Rediscovering Pasteur because apparently some forgot history (not to mention science)

Humility is not a lack of confidence. Humility is a lack of arrogance.

Arrogance says "I can do great things and you can't, so I'm better than you."

Confidence says "I can do great things and so can you, let's work together."

It's possible to own your skills without diminishing those of others.

Donate to Fund Science & Student Training for Menopause Research, organized by Heather Bimonte-Nelson RATIONALE FOR CROWDFUNDING FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH SCIENCE: Deva… Heather Bimonte-Nelson needs your support for Fund Science & Student Training for Menopause Research

A longtime colleague and friend is shutting down her research program; there is no hope. I’m crushed on her behalf, just no words to do this justice. She started a gofundme to finish the last study so their findings can be published - please consider donating gofund.me/8bf0f53f