Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
@alexpsihogios.bsky.social
Wife & mom (she/her) | Assistant Prof of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine | Psychologist | Digital cancer tools that help teens & young adults
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
Jay Bhattacharya’s priorities do not consider the needs of patients, caregivers or frontline clinicians. They are not informed by researchers.
And they are problematic and unscientific in several places. 🧵 1/5
www.science.org/content/arti...
And they are problematic and unscientific in several places. 🧵 1/5
www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH director orders new review of grants in outline of top research priorities
Many topics on Bhattacharya’s list are familiar, but order to re-evaluate grants draws concerns
www.science.org
August 16, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Jay Bhattacharya’s priorities do not consider the needs of patients, caregivers or frontline clinicians. They are not informed by researchers.
And they are problematic and unscientific in several places. 🧵 1/5
www.science.org/content/arti...
And they are problematic and unscientific in several places. 🧵 1/5
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
Curtailing funding for foreign components on NIH grants has real consequences. Broader participation in clinical trials means broader applicability of cures. And for rare diseases, there may not be enough eligible patients in the US alone. Ending foreign components will harm patients in the US.
August 6, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Curtailing funding for foreign components on NIH grants has real consequences. Broader participation in clinical trials means broader applicability of cures. And for rare diseases, there may not be enough eligible patients in the US alone. Ending foreign components will harm patients in the US.
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves:
“I don’t think the values of the Trump administration are the values of the Columbia medical faculty. In fact, I am certain they are not. We have made a deal with the devil. Those don’t usually work out.”
We can confirm ‼️
“I don’t think the values of the Trump administration are the values of the Columbia medical faculty. In fact, I am certain they are not. We have made a deal with the devil. Those don’t usually work out.”
We can confirm ‼️
July 24, 2025 at 7:08 PM
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves:
“I don’t think the values of the Trump administration are the values of the Columbia medical faculty. In fact, I am certain they are not. We have made a deal with the devil. Those don’t usually work out.”
We can confirm ‼️
“I don’t think the values of the Trump administration are the values of the Columbia medical faculty. In fact, I am certain they are not. We have made a deal with the devil. Those don’t usually work out.”
We can confirm ‼️
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
"Every cut has a constituency".
In this case, Chicago and Illinois politicians will see their voters die from Trump cuts.
Stand up with us to fight back for all-things science, health and life itself in America.
#StandUpForScience
In this case, Chicago and Illinois politicians will see their voters die from Trump cuts.
Stand up with us to fight back for all-things science, health and life itself in America.
#StandUpForScience
New CNN story about clinical trials damaged by the funding freeze at Northwestern.
www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/h...
1/n
www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/h...
1/n
NIH froze funding for clinical trials at a major university. By fall, they’ll run out of funding | CNN
Northwestern University hasn’t received any funding from the NIH since the end of March. Not only could patients potentially stop receiving treatments that trials provided, the research itself could b...
www.cnn.com
June 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
"Every cut has a constituency".
In this case, Chicago and Illinois politicians will see their voters die from Trump cuts.
Stand up with us to fight back for all-things science, health and life itself in America.
#StandUpForScience
In this case, Chicago and Illinois politicians will see their voters die from Trump cuts.
Stand up with us to fight back for all-things science, health and life itself in America.
#StandUpForScience
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
New CNN story about clinical trials damaged by the funding freeze at Northwestern.
www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/h...
1/n
www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/h...
1/n
NIH froze funding for clinical trials at a major university. By fall, they’ll run out of funding | CNN
Northwestern University hasn’t received any funding from the NIH since the end of March. Not only could patients potentially stop receiving treatments that trials provided, the research itself could b...
www.cnn.com
June 23, 2025 at 12:16 PM
New CNN story about clinical trials damaged by the funding freeze at Northwestern.
www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/h...
1/n
www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/h...
1/n
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
🚨 After more than three months, Columbia University is no longer frozen out of NIH funds, per source.
Terminated grants will not (yet) be reinstated, but money should begin flowing otherwise, I'm told.
Terminated grants will not (yet) be reinstated, but money should begin flowing otherwise, I'm told.
Per source, NIH has been instructed to hold off from issuing ALL awards to Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Brown, and Northwestern (including med schools)
Agency staff have also been instructed to not speak about this funding freeze to grantees and applicants
Agency staff have also been instructed to not speak about this funding freeze to grantees and applicants
June 18, 2025 at 1:30 PM
🚨 After more than three months, Columbia University is no longer frozen out of NIH funds, per source.
Terminated grants will not (yet) be reinstated, but money should begin flowing otherwise, I'm told.
Terminated grants will not (yet) be reinstated, but money should begin flowing otherwise, I'm told.
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
"We are speaking on behalf of hundreds of NIH staff who are standing up together to say: WE DISSENT.
I am so scared about doing this but I am trying to be brave for my kids because it's only gonna get harder to speak up."
Thank you to Dr. Jenna Norton and NIH scientists for your courage!
I am so scared about doing this but I am trying to be brave for my kids because it's only gonna get harder to speak up."
Thank you to Dr. Jenna Norton and NIH scientists for your courage!
June 9, 2025 at 5:25 PM
"We are speaking on behalf of hundreds of NIH staff who are standing up together to say: WE DISSENT.
I am so scared about doing this but I am trying to be brave for my kids because it's only gonna get harder to speak up."
Thank you to Dr. Jenna Norton and NIH scientists for your courage!
I am so scared about doing this but I am trying to be brave for my kids because it's only gonna get harder to speak up."
Thank you to Dr. Jenna Norton and NIH scientists for your courage!
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
The federal government is telling you they cannot afford to house you, feed you, educate you or heal you — but that they do have enough resources and scale to criminalize, assault, deport and incarcerate your neighbors simply going to work or taking their kids to graduation.
June 9, 2025 at 2:18 PM
The federal government is telling you they cannot afford to house you, feed you, educate you or heal you — but that they do have enough resources and scale to criminalize, assault, deport and incarcerate your neighbors simply going to work or taking their kids to graduation.
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
I signed this and urge others to consider:
A broad group of National Institutes of Health (NIH) public servants have taken action with the "Bethesda Declaration" that targets the NIH and HHS Leadership. Join these courageous professionals by adding your name now. actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...
A broad group of National Institutes of Health (NIH) public servants have taken action with the "Bethesda Declaration" that targets the NIH and HHS Leadership. Join these courageous professionals by adding your name now. actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...
ADD YOUR NAME: Sign the Open Letter in Support of NIH Staff
Join the courageous and committed National Institutes of Health (NIH) public servants by adding your name now.
actionnetwork.org
June 9, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I signed this and urge others to consider:
A broad group of National Institutes of Health (NIH) public servants have taken action with the "Bethesda Declaration" that targets the NIH and HHS Leadership. Join these courageous professionals by adding your name now. actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...
A broad group of National Institutes of Health (NIH) public servants have taken action with the "Bethesda Declaration" that targets the NIH and HHS Leadership. Join these courageous professionals by adding your name now. actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
I urge everyone to read Unbreaking’s new page on everything the govt is doing to destroy & diminish medical research funding.
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
Medical Research Funding — Unbreaking
How the administration is breaking the government, and what that means for all of us.
unbreaking.org
May 30, 2025 at 9:38 PM
I urge everyone to read Unbreaking’s new page on everything the govt is doing to destroy & diminish medical research funding.
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
It’s the best thing I’ve read on this topic: @lizneeley.bsky.social & co have such done an incredible job.
unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
Note that NWU has received zero communication from the administration about this. No explanation, no rationale, no demands. Nothing.
They're not even paying on grants that were already awarded and budgeted. It's tyrannical
They're not even paying on grants that were already awarded and budgeted. It's tyrannical
All of NIH funding to Northwestern University is frozen. This pause includes noncompeting approved funding, new and competing grants with fundable scores. No reimbursements for money already spent have been received since March. This situation is rarely reported so please Please get the word out!
May 23, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Note that NWU has received zero communication from the administration about this. No explanation, no rationale, no demands. Nothing.
They're not even paying on grants that were already awarded and budgeted. It's tyrannical
They're not even paying on grants that were already awarded and budgeted. It's tyrannical
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
All of NIH funding to Northwestern University is frozen. This pause includes noncompeting approved funding, new and competing grants with fundable scores. No reimbursements for money already spent have been received since March. This situation is rarely reported so please Please get the word out!
May 23, 2025 at 5:56 PM
All of NIH funding to Northwestern University is frozen. This pause includes noncompeting approved funding, new and competing grants with fundable scores. No reimbursements for money already spent have been received since March. This situation is rarely reported so please Please get the word out!
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
Northwestern has not received any NIH funds since March. No written communication about why or what can be done. Thank you Ben Singer for raising awareness at #ATS2025
May 18, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Northwestern has not received any NIH funds since March. No written communication about why or what can be done. Thank you Ben Singer for raising awareness at #ATS2025
"He said researching the health effects of redlining... is a “completely legitimate kind of study” that NIH could fund... Yet he said structural racism cannot be studied because it’s “not a scientific hypothesis." One audience member pointed out that redlining is a form of structural racism."
Director Jay Bhattacharya says he didn’t decide who was terminated from NIH. “I actually don’t have any transparency in how those decisions were made, and actually I’m quite upset about that. It would be nice to have had some say”
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH director faces pointed questions at first staff town hall
Jay Bhattacharya says he disagrees with firings, supports minority health studies
www.science.org
May 21, 2025 at 7:55 PM
"He said researching the health effects of redlining... is a “completely legitimate kind of study” that NIH could fund... Yet he said structural racism cannot be studied because it’s “not a scientific hypothesis." One audience member pointed out that redlining is a form of structural racism."
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
The Trump administration has so far frozen about $11 billion in research funding. University leaders say no other source can fill the void.
What losing billions in federal grants means for universities, and the nation
The Trump administration has so far frozen about $11 billion in research funding. University leaders say no other source can fill the void.
www.npr.org
May 16, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The Trump administration has so far frozen about $11 billion in research funding. University leaders say no other source can fill the void.
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
Among the most evil things an admin can do. If a prsn is willing to call 988, they are reaching out for help in their most vulnerable state. This is a prsn knowing their limits & needing help to stay alive. Cant overstate the imprtnce of a compassionate TRAINED counselor on the line. Call your reps
April 22, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Among the most evil things an admin can do. If a prsn is willing to call 988, they are reaching out for help in their most vulnerable state. This is a prsn knowing their limits & needing help to stay alive. Cant overstate the imprtnce of a compassionate TRAINED counselor on the line. Call your reps
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
Efforts by the National Institutes of Health to shut down research that merely references LGBTQ people or people of color are a direct attack on public health — and illegal.
Researchers, ACLU sue over Trump's 'ideological purge' of NIH grants
Scientific researchers on Wednesday sued to secure reinstatement of National Institutes of Health grants that funded research on topics like LGBTQ health, COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy canceled by Republican President Donald Trump's administration as part of an "ideological purge."
www.reuters.com
April 3, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Efforts by the National Institutes of Health to shut down research that merely references LGBTQ people or people of color are a direct attack on public health — and illegal.
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
Diagnosed with #colorectalcancer at 35, Ilona spreads awareness and dispels fears by creating a comic based on her experience. Lurie Cancer Center’s Mary Mulcahy, MD, shares insight with @todayshow.com www.today.com/health/disea... #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth #AYACSM #CRCSM
Woman with colorectal cancer at 35 had these signs of a ‘broken butt.’ Doctors dismissed her
After being diagnosed with rectal cancer, Iona Woolmington learned she needed an ileostomy. Her experience led her to write and illustrate a comic about it.
www.today.com
March 28, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Diagnosed with #colorectalcancer at 35, Ilona spreads awareness and dispels fears by creating a comic based on her experience. Lurie Cancer Center’s Mary Mulcahy, MD, shares insight with @todayshow.com www.today.com/health/disea... #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth #AYACSM #CRCSM
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
My friend from graduate school found out that funding for her NF1 project got pulled. From $25 mil to 0 with a stroke of a pen. NF1=Neurofibromatosis Type 1, an inherited genetic disorder. Both of us are early career scientists. 🧪🔬🧬 #Science #AcademicSky
www.wired.com/story/the-ch...
www.wired.com/story/the-ch...
March 24, 2025 at 1:58 PM
My friend from graduate school found out that funding for her NF1 project got pulled. From $25 mil to 0 with a stroke of a pen. NF1=Neurofibromatosis Type 1, an inherited genetic disorder. Both of us are early career scientists. 🧪🔬🧬 #Science #AcademicSky
www.wired.com/story/the-ch...
www.wired.com/story/the-ch...
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
Good read. this moment affords an opportunity for us to “rethink the very basics of what the job of a scientist is, why we do our jobs, and what it means to do them well”
"No one is coming out of the sky to give you your grant money. Your citation portfolio won’t survive this market crash. Your credentials mean nothing. Everything is going to change."
New for @undark.org
undark.org/2025/03/06/o...
New for @undark.org
undark.org/2025/03/06/o...
How Science Can Adapt to a New Normal
Opinion | In the wake of attacks on the research enterprise, scientists need to focus on protecting its fragile infrastructure.
undark.org
March 8, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Good read. this moment affords an opportunity for us to “rethink the very basics of what the job of a scientist is, why we do our jobs, and what it means to do them well”
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
"A prescription for the loneliness epidemic needs to incorporate digital experiences, with a focus on creating communities committed to fostering cohesion and connection, to not only treat the problem of loneliness but help people build satisfying lives—online and off."
fortune.com/2025/02/26/l...
fortune.com/2025/02/26/l...
Stop blaming the loneliness epidemic on social media—digital communities help more than they hurt
A prescription for the loneliness epidemic need not rule out the benefits of online communities.
fortune.com
March 1, 2025 at 4:48 PM
"A prescription for the loneliness epidemic needs to incorporate digital experiences, with a focus on creating communities committed to fostering cohesion and connection, to not only treat the problem of loneliness but help people build satisfying lives—online and off."
fortune.com/2025/02/26/l...
fortune.com/2025/02/26/l...
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
Such a heartbreaking article
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
Inside the Collapse at the NIH
Administration officials pressured the NIH to avoid clear advice from the agency’s own lawyers to restart grant funding now.
www.theatlantic.com
February 27, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Such a heartbreaking article
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
Reposted by Alex Psihogios, Ph.D.
This hurts new and early career investigators (like me) the hardest. Most of us finished our postdocs & started our labs during the COVID-19 pandemic with shutdowns and supply issues at that time. Now we’re being hit with ::all of this::
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. early-career researchers struggling amid chaos
Uncertain funding, government firings, and distressed universities hit vulnerable groups especially hard
www.science.org
February 22, 2025 at 4:03 PM
This hurts new and early career investigators (like me) the hardest. Most of us finished our postdocs & started our labs during the COVID-19 pandemic with shutdowns and supply issues at that time. Now we’re being hit with ::all of this::
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...