Amanda Bunting, PhD

New "Fentanyl Poisonings" Act Would Target Social Media Sales, Again - Filter In late September, Representatives Adam Gray (D-CA) and Gabe Evans (R-CO) introduced the “Combatting Fentanyl Poisonings Act of 2025.” It’s ...

“'Poisoning' lets bereaved parents tell the world that their child wasn’t a drug user—they were a good person. But it belies the fact that fentanyl users not only deserve to live, they didn’t have the information they needed either."

RFK Jr. to End 'Godsend' Narcan Program That Helped Reduce Overdose Deaths Despite His Past Heroin Addiction Despite overcoming heroin addiction himself, RFK Jr. is backing plans to cut a critical Narcan program that helped reduce overdose deaths.

There are few things as cost effective as Narcan, especially in a country where (entirely preventable) opioid overdoses have been a leading cause of death for years. For every 6 kits distributed 1 OD is prevented. The $56M in this grant trained >66K people and distributed >282,500 kits in 2024 alone

Broadcast this everywhere... we're decimating the world's leading funder of medical research, which earns over $2 in returns (including lives saved) for every $ spent. It should be the *last* thing we want to cut, ever....

Day by day, how Trump is roiling science and health STAT is tracking, day by day, what's happened in the words of science and health during the first months of the Trump administration.

STAT is tracking, day by day, what's happened in the words of science and health during the first months of the Trump administration.

The entire SAMHSA staff that manages the National Survey on Drug Use and Health has been terminated. This is the only survey that tracks mental health and substance use trends in the US.

We really are flying blind now.

Excited to share results from our pilot study. We assessed a novel opioid education, overdose recognition, and naloxone training for public school staff.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity and DEI in the biomedical workforce could be terminated, according to documents obtained by Nature.

“It’s extremely alarming that grants that have been vetted by the scientific community and deemed important and impactful to understand the world are now being cancelled because of political ideology,” says @lkfazio.bsky.social.

“This is direct censorship of scientific research.”

Saddened by the cancelation of the NIDA summer intern program. I've had wonderful students over the past several years who did tremendous work to start their careers and gain research exposure through this program.

Image of first page of article mentioned in tweet, Self-reported experiences and perspectives on using psychedelics to manage opioid use among participants of two Reddit communities.

Check out the latest study from CDUHR affiliated investigators Noa Krawczyk & Amanda Bunting - Self-reported experiences and perspectives on using psychedelics to manage opioid use among participants of two Reddit communities
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

My lab put together an easy to digest overview of indirects, if you're struggling to explain to folks outside of academia

www.instagram.com/p/DF6Kqiyyi6...

NIH In Your State - United For Medical Research Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America.

NIH IN YOUR STATE

“Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America”

www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-...

an illustration of a scientist wearing a mask looking through a microscope ALT: an illustration of a scientist wearing a mask looking through a microscope

Just got off a webinar with a prominent national law firm on rules change on indirect rate. AAMC and other orgs on panel too. First, need to be convey that the rates are actual costs, not just overhead to pad the university coffers. Example- Institutional Review Board, space/utilities 1/4

Great summary of the devastation

‼️ All indirects to 15%, the effect of this substantial cut will be enormous.

"To condone policies that the profession knows will compromise health—or to remain silent and look away—is to be complicit in putting population health at risk."

Addiction treatment often overlooks trauma. That's a major hurdle in stopping the overdose crisis Trauma is one of the biggest risk factors for addiction — but trauma-centered treatments are lacking

avoiding re-traumatizing people & treating trauma appropriately is essential to good addiction care. Shame that so much of our care is actively traumatic www.salon.com/2025/01/27/a...

SUBJECT: Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs 'The American people elected Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar. In Fiscal Year 2024. of the nearly $10 trillion that the Federal Government spent, more than $3 trillion was Federal financial assistance, such as grants and loans. Career and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities. Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending wokeness" and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again. The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve. This memorandum requires Federal agencies to identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the President's policies and requirements. For example, during the initial days of his Administration, President Donald J Trump issued a series of executive orders to protect the American people and safeguard valuable taxpayer resources, including Protecting the American People Against Invasion (Jan. 20, 2025). Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid (Jan 20, 2025), Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements (Jan. 20, 2025). Unleashing American Energy (Jan. 20. 2025). Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (Jan. 20.

ent these orders, each agency must complete a comprehensive analysis of all jal assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that any of the President's executive orders. In the interian, to the extent applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency nay be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial surice tot foreign nongovernmental organizations, DEL woke gender ideology, and the pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the he temporary pause will become effective on January 28, 2025, at 5:00 rehensive analysis. Federal agencies must immediately deadlines for assistance programs arising while the les must report this information to OMB along with an directs Federal agencies to pause all activities associated conducting merit review panels No later than Febrar - 10. 2025, agencies shail submit to OMB detailed information on any programs projects or activities subject to this pause. Each agency must pause. (i) issuance of disbursement of Federal funds under all open awards, and (il) other relevant has reviewed provided guidance to your agency with respect to the information act recordin grant and ptions allowing Federal agencies to issue new awards or take other case basis. To the extent required by law, Federal agencies may continue nistrative actions. such as closeout of Federal awards (2 CFR 200.344), or expressly required by law

NEW — OMB temporarily pauses all agency grants and loans programs.

Per copy of memo: "The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve."

Reminder that NIJ is not under HHS, and these cancelations are beyond the supposedly temporary ones at NIH, CDC...

If you run a research lab/program that relies on #NIH funding, your staff are likely nervous too. Call a meeting. Reassure them that you will look out for them and that you'll do everything in your power to keep going.
If you run a university, staff & faculty might want to hear from you too.

as an early career researcher, I cannot understate how anxious and uncertain this leaves me. it's detrimental to society to halt research progress, and leaves early career folks, soft money positions in absolute peril.