Bryan D. James, PhD

Im definitely rooting for you all to beat the Eagles 🤞 Keep it up

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

Michigan Avenue right now.

I know a lot of neuropsychologists—all of you should be voting for @drmlamar.bsky.social as the head of INS! Any professional society would be lucky to have her as president.

Rodgers is nonbinary, spread the word.

Please see this story of my program officer @tyk314.net’s father and what cuts to funding mean to people like him and all of us

You got it

Truly disgusting. I don’t know how anyone can support this. The “It’s just a meme” claim falls short when it’s the president posting it and it will literally lead to deaths, pain, and sadness in an American city. Sadistic fascism.

Our new paper in JG:PS is out!

In a sample of over 3100 older adults assessed each year for 12 years, loneliness & sense of purpose were unique predictors of cognitive decline, though past research has underestimated the reciprocal nature of this relationship.

www.researchgate.net/publication/...

September Editor Spotlight of the Month! ✍️ Next up is Sunni Mumford (@sunnimum.bsky.social) ✨, Associate Editor at AJE & Professor of Epidemiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. This month, we chatted with her about her work with AJE.

🛎️ 🛎️ 🛎️

I miss the old brand #CDC

Another insane day in America

My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

Our latest @rushalzheimers.bsky.social study on the #MINDdiet and brain health led by Puja Agarwal: MIND diet associated with lower likelihood of hippocampal sclerosis (HS) and more neurons in the hippocampus. The MIND diet association with reduced dementia was partially mediated by HS #neurosky

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The GAO just confirmed what we all knew: this administration illegally withheld congressionally approved funds to research by canceling grants and slowing new awards. This destruction of US scientific research has to stop.

Every reputable expert I know considers mRNA vaccine technology to be one of the most revolutionary advances in medicine in our lifetimes. Its inventors won the Nobel Prize in 2023. Shutting it down now is pointless self-harm to humanity.

Just Diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment? What to Look for and What It Means | Being Patient An MCI diagnosis doesn’t always mean Alzheimer’s. Identifying and treating underlying causes can slow progression — or even reverse symptoms.

Just Diagnosed With Mild Cognitive Impairment? What To Look For And What It Means beingpatient.com/what-to-do-a...

#Alzheimers #dementia #health #wellness

Honored to be the first @amjepi.bsky.social Editor Spotlight! If you ever have any questions about the journal or the peer review process, or using social media for research, please feel free to hit me up!

Got to finally meet Xian Wu in person instead of zoom! Have enjoyed working with her on these two projects that she presented as posters today at #AAIC2025

@bucklr01.bsky.social killing it on the big stage, unveiling the X chromosome’s role in Alzheimer’s disease! #AAIC2025

Actually, Dr Freeze more apropos

@rushalzheimers.bsky.social colleagues showed up to support!

Also comparing across countries can lead to ecological fallacy (ie differences across groups don’t prove that intervening on these behaviors in individuals will lead to better health in those individual)

A lot to say about this: while I agree with your recommendations, we need to base them on scientific evidence. And here the outcome is cognitive function, not life expectancy (may not necessarily have same determinants)—not much evidence that prevalence of dementia is lower in Europe than US

Love my Alzheimer’s research peeps!

Check out @lamhine.bsky.social’s poster 749 showing multiracial Americans are the racial group with the SECOND highest prevalence of subjective cognitive decline 🤯 Much more research needed in this understudied population (that Tracy and I happen to be a part of) #AAIC2025

If White Lotus aired on the Food Network

Hearing from trial participants and how much the lifestyle changes have changed their lives is incredible: “a new lease on life” We always need to hear from the participants!

“I did lose something. I lost the title of prediabetic. And 11 inches off my waistline.” 👏👏