Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD

And thanks as well to wonderful colleague @zacharydubois.bsky.social !!

Kansas revoked transgender people’s IDs overnight – researchers anticipate cascading health and social consequences With invalid driver’s licenses and birth certificates, transgender people are at risk for more than just steep fines and imprisonment.

The human cost of Kansas invalidating trans Kansans' IDs: "IDs are required to access health care, obtain housing, have a job, vote, attend college, access financial assistance or even purchase cold medicine at a pharmacy." Thanks @jaepuckett.bsky.social

theconversation.com/kansas-revok...

Yesterday I was in tears talking to an NIH PO about the impossibility of funding. Today I reconnected with a mentee who said her time doing research on trans survivorship with me helped her educate her clinical team as a SANE nurse when a trans teen came in. Feeling grateful for what matters.💙

Come hear me talk in an hour about using comics to disseminate research, how to evaluate whether your comic "worked," and maybe even make your own zine! go.umd.edu/sarah

U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies

The US government lost over 10,000 STEM PhDs representing over 100,000 years of federal work experience since Trump took office, including NSF, EPA, CDC, and others. Brain drain and a huge loss. www.science.org/content/arti...

I had a great experience as a scientist collaborator last semester! I encourage other scientists to apply, you will learn so much about how a young person outside your field sees your research and how to communicate the meaning of your research in words and images to a broad public! And it was fun!!

Violence Against Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults This systematic review and meta-analysis estimates the prevalence of overall, physical, sexual, and psychological violence against transgender and gender-diverse adults globally.

Congrats to the authors on this meticulous review that represents an INCREDIBLE amount of hard work (if you've ever done a systematic review, you know) - You can read the review by Cortney McLellan and colleagues here jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Screenshot of article available at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2844137

Screenshot of article available at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2844137

Screenshot of article available at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2844137

I still think science can serve as a clear voice for evidence and action. This rigorous review tells us that all the recent cuts to anti-violence research and programs for trans people are further harming a community facing a very high burden of violence. Some thoughts for research and policy:

Violence Against Transgender People In 2025, 1014 state bills, 104 federal bills, and 12 executive orders have been introduced that aim to exclude transgender people from public life by limiting their access to education, health care, i...

A new systematic review of the research on violence against trans people found that 1 in 3 trans people have experienced physical violence and 1 in 3 have experienced sexual violence.
I was invited to comment on the import of this scholarship in the current moment.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

As an academic, the most shocking difference about writing for books or news is that there is an entire editorial team supporting you in making your writing as impactful as possible.🥰 When you write a journal article, all you get is Reviewer fucking 2 and a company charging $5000 in APC, good luck!🙃

The FDA coming for binders is a bad-faith effort that will make binding more dangerous and the world less safe for trans people. time.com/6975583/tran...

The funny part about NIH saying they want to return to their origins for grant review is that one of the first extramural grants awarded used US taxpayer money to unknowingly infect Guatemalan sex workers with syphilis and then make them have sex with prisoners. I'll take the NIH of 2020, thanks.

today you think about fear and fear but you do not die and like any goddexx you are scorned and become the fire anyway yea though you walk yea through you rise though bitch you are here and this, too, is a form of resurrection today you are and you are not afraid and what mistake what divine miracle

Taking a moment on #tdor with these words that watch over me on my wall every day. May we become the fire anyway. For this - endless libation. For this - gardens wherever you roam.

Excerpt from "litany in which you are still here" by kiki nicole. listen to the rest at soundcloud.com/user-8302447...

Despite the relentless attacks on science, I just wish everyone knew how hard scientists work every day to put forth our best ideas, review and improve each other's work, and do the most rigorous science we are capable of to save lives and promote health. Love, your friendly neighborhood scientist.💖

I learned so much from my colleagues and we all truly did our best to steward $60 million in rigorous new research on preventing domestic violence, treating opioid addiction, reducing postpartum depression, supporting survivors, and so much more.

Every single one of my fellow reviewers were unflaggingly thoughtful and we were united in asking one question - Which of these grants is going to do the most for patients and their families? My own grant got rejected before review, and I am honestly delighted I got to review others' grants instead.

I recently served on my first scientific grant review panel! What was it like? Two dozen of us read hundreds of pages of grants, wrote reviews, and showed up ready to discuss for 8 straight hours. (1/4)

Highly recommend healthybinding.com by Frances Reed which also has a "binder finder" resource! And thanks to doodler for the shout out above for our book as well.

Researcher career milestone today: Got (blinded) reviews back on a manuscript and reviewers all agree I need to cite more work by Peitzmeier et al. 😅 DON'T MIND IF I DO

Can't wait!! Every time Maia and I talk about writing this book I feel like it peels back another layer of the onion on our process. Excited to be reunited and in conversation on Friday and honored the event is already standing room only. Come if you love comics, health comm, or trans joy!

Not just for book authors! I was surprised to see more than a dozen of my journal articles got fed into the maw of AI. Researchers, check for yourselves!

The NIH has reached out and I'm hopeful my K01 will be reinstated soon. My R21 application got assigned to review in October. I am celebrating this victory, I am grieving the 8+ months I will never get back, I am glad we are fighting for our right to do the work we are called to do.🔥

IT IS SO ORDERED. Signed by Lydia Kay Griggsby, United States District Judge. Screenshot from memorandum opinion available here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520.94.0.pdf

...is at the end, where she says, all caps and bold,

IT IS SO ORDERED.

The government must restore our LGBTQ+ health grants and review our applications.

Screenshot from memorandum opinion available here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520.94.0.pdf

Screenshot from memorandum opinion available here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520.94.0.pdf

Screenshot from memorandum opinion available here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520.94.0.pdf

Screenshot from memorandum opinion available here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520.94.0.pdf

Honored to be in a group of LGBTQ+ health researchers who sued the government over NIH grant terminations and won a preliminary injunction! Some key parts of the memorandum opinion issued this week stating that the government did in fact unlawfully discriminate below, but my favorite part...

Trump Administration Scraps Research Into Health Disparities

Some of my NIH-funded work with @rebeccafieldingmiller.com and @abigailmhatcher.bsky.social @nickmetheny.bsky.social that was unconstitutionally terminated featured in the NYT this week: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/h.... Thanks to litigation it is restored and we are training a cohort in November!

Come see @redgoldsparks.bsky.social and me speak at the awesome @peoplesbook.bsky.social in September about writing + drawing for a future in which we can all breathe. 💖

This fun convo had me reflecting on how the weaving of storytelling and teaching that felt so instinctive to us was its own little innovation, and how the outsider status of comics in the academy made me feel more free to take my sweet time dreaming this book into existence with Maia. Thanks GMIC!

Such an honor to have our book recognized by GMIC as best educational comic of 2024! Love all that @graphicmedicine.bsky.social does for the field and uplifting amazing work. I loved loved @keezyyoung.bsky.social's Sunflowers and am working on getting my hands on a copy of The Jellyfish to read!

Adapting effective sexual assault prevention for online delivery Can an in-person intervention that decreases young women’s risk of sexual assault maintain its effectiveness when adapted for online facilitation?

A little write up about our campus sexual assault prevention trial! doi.org/10.56367/OAG... We will be recruiting freshmen and sophomore women at University of Maryland, Central Florida, Michigan, and Guelph in just a few weeks.

Post it saying "Write a book about diverse trans + gender expansive survivors of intimate partner violence + how not only transphobia but other intersecting systems of power shape their victimization, survival, resilience, resistance, and healing. "

20+ colorful post it notes on a wall with attendees' intention setting projects

First day of the #Intersectionality Training Institute and we are all setting our intentions for an intersectional research project we want to accomplish in the next year. Getting chills from all the cool work that will come out of this week of learning and community! 😍