Roger Figueroa, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Sc.

Universal Basic Income works.

It doesn’t have to be like this.

Poverty is a policy choice.

The NIH was healthiest when pay lines were in the 20th percentile range.

We are headed into an environment where pay lines are in the 5% range.

In my entire career, I’ve only had 3 grants that scored better than 5%. And my lab is considered a successful one.

This is going to destroy science.

This. Not just the summer, but also the year(s) ahead. I've been having conversations with fellow academics about the push to do the same or more with less (as funding cuts set it). It's not sustainable. At some point we will just have to do less.

We need to decide what is essential, and what's not

Quote by Agustín Fuentes from Princeton University stating, "To do better science ... the scientific community needs to build an environment that welcomes and supports all." The text is white on a black background.

"To retreat from [diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts] is to close the door to possibilities for better science and a better future. This is not the time to step back. It’s unquestionably the time to step forward," writes Agustín Fuentes in a new #ScienceExpertVoices article. scim.ag/4kS8ZQi

We're hiring!

academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30219

The Cornell Department of Communication is hiring an Assistant Professor in Science, Environment, and Risk Communication!

Applications received by September 15, 2025, will be given full consideration.

Judge rules some NIH grant cuts illegal, saying he's never seen such discrimination in 40 years A federal judge says it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants issued by the National Institutes of Health.

A judge rules that several hundred Trump administration NIH grant cuts were illegal, saying he’s never seen such discrimination in 40 years.

Judge blocks Trump administration from closing the Education Department The federal judge also told the administration to reinstate department employees who lost their jobs during the reduction-in-force announced in March.

BREAKING NEWS: A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from carrying out Trump's executive order calling for the closure of the Education Department.

Trump’s NIH And NSF Cuts Estimated To Cost The U.S. Economy $10 Billion Annually Economists find public R&D drives U.S. productivity growth — and pays for itself

Bottom line: the proposed NIH & NSF cuts alone would eventually strip at least $10 billion per year from U.S. output.

www.forbes.com/sites/johndr...

Good morning. Remember to drink water. Take deep conscious breaths and step into nature whenever possible. #resist

Been thinking about this a lot. Academic public health will need to be reinvented. Ideally more collaborative, action-oriented, unafraid of science-informed advocacy, measured by real-world impact instead of h-index.

E.P.A. Plans to Shut Down the Energy Star Program

Brilliant to eliminate Energy Star, a program that costs $32m but delivered $40b in annual savings. None other than the US chamber of commerce tried to save it as a model of business/government partnership. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/c...

Public media is under threat. Millions depend on the NPR Network every day. Silencing journalism is one way to silence truth and erode the power of the people. Donate now.

A few days ago, President Trump issued an executive order seeking to block all federal funding to NPR, the latest in a series of threats to media organizations across the country.

My biggest writing advice to grad students is: don’t be a perfectionist. I hope you find an advisor who works with you on shitty first drafts. My grad advisor Judy Hall and I would send imperfect drafts back and forth til it’s as good as we can get. Writing fast is prob a big predictor of publishing

US academic leaders unite against Trump's higher education policies Over 100 university, college and scholarly society presidents published a joint statement on Tuesday opposing the Trump administration's treatment of higher education institutions, coming together to speak out after Harvard University said the administration was threatening its independence.

Over 100 university, college and scholarly society presidents published a joint statement opposing the Trump administration's treatment of higher education institutions reut.rs/42Vhp3x

NIH freezes funds to Harvard and four other universities, but can’t tell them Move follows broader White House attack on Harvard funding and stop-work orders to contractors

In more bad funding news, internal NIH emails have directed grant managers to stop payments to Harvard, Brown, Northwestern, Cornell, and Weill-Cornell Medical School. www.science.org/content/arti...

Worse still, they’re directed not to communicate with those grantees about the freeze?

After 21 years at my dream job, I’m very sad to announce my early retirement from the National Institutes of Health. My life’s work has been to scientifically study how our food environment affects what we eat, and how what we eat affects our physiology.

Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions - rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking steps to make sure students can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope others follow suit.

Harvard rejects Trump administration's demands for deep changes The university refused to make changes it said would "dictate what private universities can teach" and "whom they can admit and hire," among other things.

The university refused to make changes it said would "dictate what private universities can teach" and "whom they can admit and hire," among other things.

I may be tired and a little hoarse, but as I said again and again on the Senate floor, this is a moment where we cannot afford to be silent, when we must speak up.

There are days in life that shake you.

I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University
& academic career... 1/🧵

Continuous Eligibility Policies And CHIP Structure Affected Children’s Coverage Loss During Medicaid Unwinding | Health Affairs Journal In April 2023, with the “unwinding” of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) continuous enrollment provisions in Medicaid, states were permitted to commence redetermination and disenroll...

In a new paper out in Health Affairs, my coauthors and I find that the Medicaid unwinding has led to fewer children with Medicaid and CHIP. We found that state 12-month continuous eligibility and Medicaid expansion CHIP structures were protective against some Medicaid loss
doi.org/10.1377/hlth...

Listen to every word.

"For much of our...history, the US has been the global leader in research...the new administration seems to be inclined to recklessly consign that to history. We at Nature denounce this assault on science. And we encourage the global research community, wherever they can, to voice their opposition."

The Words Federal Agencies Are Discouraged From Using Under Trump (Gift Article) Federal agencies have issued guidance to employees on hundreds of terms to limit or avoid using. An analysis of government websites shows many of the same words being removed.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The words Black, anti-racism, Hispanic and Diversity are amongst those they hope to disappear. USE THEM. #resist

Expanding the Pipeline of Physician–Social Scientists This Viewpoint discusses the need to expand the pipeline of physician-scientists trained in the social sciences and humanities to meet the growing demand for leaders who can fully integrate medicine a...

JAMA: A call for physician-social scientists:

Medicine’s future depends on leaders who bridge clinical practice, research and society. Physician-social scientists are equipped to do this, but their potential cannot be realized without investment in their training.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

I needed to read this today. Thank you, friend.

From deportations to health care, state lawmakers are key for much of Trump's domestic agenda Federal power only goes so far. State governors and legislatures have wide authority over local law enforcement, schools, health and how cities and counties handle immigration.

Federal power only goes so far. State governors and legislatures have wide authority over local law enforcement, schools, health and how cities and counties handle immigration.

Why It’s Important to Talk about Race with Children Children start learning about race and racism as early as preschool. Talking about race early, however difficult, will help them become more antiracist

"White parents who see themselves as egalitarian must recognize that the stakes are now higher than ever. If you want to raise children who reject racism rather than passively absorbing it, right now, today, talk with your child about race and racism."

www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...

The DOGE Project Will Backfire Trump’s war on public employees is bad for all of us.

"We rely on public employees every day, usually not noticing how they make our lives better. The costs of dismantling agencies, dramatically politicizing state capacity, and demeaning..public service will still be counted long after Trump has departed the scene."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

At least 12 universities now have hiring freezes and nearly 30 have cut PhD admissions this year

If you hear of other places you can add them to this google doc: