Cindy Veldhuis, PhD

I feel sick.

On Thursday, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to grant them a stay on the Massachusetts vs Kennedy/ APHA vs NIH ruling. This decision will occur on the shadow docket, with no formal hearing.

a cartoon of a girl with the words when chatgpt becomes your new bff ALT: a cartoon of a girl with the words when chatgpt becomes your new bff

(suggests affirm, legitimize, etc.)

Me: thank you - this was very helpful.

ChatGPT: You’re so welcome! I’m glad it helped. If you ever need to detox other overused or loaded words (looking at you, “resilience” and “empower”), I’m always ready with a thesaurus and a mild attitude problem.

a penguin wearing a wizard hat sits at a desk with a computer and the words let chatgpt do it ALT: a penguin wearing a wizard hat sits at a desk with a computer and the words let chatgpt do it

When chatGPT just gets you:

Me: What is a better word to use in this sentence than normalize? I dislike that word for various and likely obvious reasons.

ChatGPT: Totally fair to dislike "normalize"—it can feel clinical, loaded, or imply that things were previously “abnormal.”

Share the Love 😍
Have a colleague whose graphs need… help?
Someone who says “I’m not a visual person”?
Send them our way.
Good design is teachable—and this workshop proves it. 💡

REGISTER: bit.ly/4k7JgTH
AGENDA: bit.ly/4eykTNR

Why Register Now?
Spots are limited—and they're going fast.
If you're a public health researcher, grad student, or science communicator who wants to elevate your visuals, this is for you.

REGISTER: bit.ly/4k7JgTH
AGENDA: bit.ly/4eykTNR
🖼️📊📈

What’s on the agenda?
✔️ Chart design that actually communicates
✔️ Posters that get people to stop & read
✔️ Slides that make your talk shine—not sink
Plus plenty of examples, tools, and time to practice.
REGISTER: bit.ly/4k7JgTH
AGENDA: bit.ly/4eykTNR

📣 Big Announcement! 📣
🚨 It’s here! Agenda's up & registration's open for our Data Design Workshop!

Join us for a hands-on workshop that will transform how you design charts, posters, and presentations.
🗓️ Sept 8 & 22 & Oct 8 & 15, 2025
📍 Virtual

REGISTER: bit.ly/4k7JgTH
AGENDA: bit.ly/4eykTNR

😻💕🤗

I bought the cabinet that came in this box on December 30, 2024. So much has happened since then. Should I contact them and see if they can fix ALL THE THINGS???

a woman in a red dress is saying you 're the gift that keeps on giving ALT: a woman in a red dress is saying you 're the gift that keeps on giving

Yup. I was given 2 weeks to write a new research proposal bc my LRP was based on terminated grants.

Happy pride month, all.

Know a public health researcher with great data and chaotic slides? Be a friend. Send them our way. 🫶📊
Please share this workshop with your networks—good design is a public health intervention.

To download the pdf version of the flyer, go here: acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:...

🗓️ Save the Dates: Sept 8 & 22; Oct 8 & 15
📍 Virtual!!!
📌 Registration info coming soon.
🎯 Designed for researchers, faculty, grad students, and health communicators.
🧠 Email MSS_education@northwestern.edu to get on the email list.
Elevate your visuals. Strengthen your science. Amplify your impact.

🎤 Ideal for researchers, faculty, graduate students, and health communicators working across disciplines.

🧑‍🎨 No design background required — just a commitment to making your work more accessible and policy-relevant.

Whether you're prepping for a conference, grant pitch, or policy briefing — this hands-on workshop is for you.

💻No special programs needed, we will use powerpoint and excel primarily.

Taught by me(!): Assistant professor in Medical Social Sciences @nufeinbergmss.bsky.social. I'm an NIH-funded health researcher (with 5 years of graphic design experience). I teach scholars to design visuals that clarify complexity and make audiences feel (and even sometimes cry).

This workshop will cover:
📊 Best practices for visualizing quantitative & qualitative data
🖼️ Designing academic posters for maximum engagement
🗣️ Creating presentations that enhance your message

All grounded in the interaction between design principles and health equity.

four half day workshop on design for academics and researchers. Email MSS_education@northwestern.edu to get on the list to be alerted when registration starts.

🎨 Calling all health researchers!
Tired of confusing graphs, chaotic slides, and posters no one reads? 📊📈📉

💡Join us for “Visualizing Health Research” — a hands-on workshop that will give you a toolbox 🧰 to level up your design game. 🧵👇

🧠 Email MSS_education@northwestern.edu to get on email list.

Exclusive: NIH documents reveal inconsistencies in grant terminations as agency reviews 3200 more Evidence of agency’s uneven guidance to employees and role of DOGE could play into legal case against cuts

www.science.org/content/arti...

Shattered Science: The Research Lost as Trump Targets NIH Funding The Trump administration cut research funding that sought cures for future pandemics, examined the causes of dementia and tried to prevent HIV transmission. More than 150 researchers shared with ProPu...

projects.propublica.org/nih-cuts-res...

New opportunity to help sustain global health research

re-fund-global-health.vercel.app

a man in a black and white sweater is standing in a living room and says `` seriously thanks so much '' . Alt: David from Schitt's Creek in a black and white sweater is standing in a living room and says `` seriously thanks so much '' as he leaves.

Sad to report, I was not transported to a "delightful escape." I am still at my desk trying to get the non-science parts of R01 #2 done. It is also very grey outside.

Oh wait - I can no longer see the hotel that bears the current president's name due to FOG. Well, thank you Noosa yogurt!

a panda bear in a cage with the words " i will break free " written on the bottom Alt: a panda bear trying to escape a crib with the words " i will break free " written on the bottom

The label on my Noosa yogurt this morning promises "a delightful escape." Not sure how that is possible given [gestures to everything everywhere all at once], but am willing to try and will report back. Stay tuned.

We continue to look for an #ImpSci Postdoc to work with us - if you consider applying and want to have a chat first, let me know. New deadline end of May: jobs.uzh.ch/job-vacancie...

Trump Administration Slashes Research Into L.G.B.T.Q. Health Nearly half of the N.I.H. grants canceled through early May — together worth more than $800 million — addressed the health of sexual and gender minority groups, The Times found.

Trump Administration Slashes Research Into L.G.B.T.Q. Health www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/h...

Today has been a long week.

It is so great and unfortunately, it is only for grants that have been frozen or delayed. It isn't for those of us who have had grants terminated.

🙏 We need your help 🙏

The government continues to cancel grants at both NIH and NSF to censor science it doesn't like.

We're tracking terminations to organize and advocate. Please report your terminated grants:

NIH:
forms.gle/J2znQ7y7YpeP...

NSF: airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni...

w/ @noamross.net

Our analysis shows that, looking at just the projects terminated so far, a whopping 29% are related to HIV/AIDS and 24% to trans health. 17% are related to COVID-19.