Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
@drxilma.bsky.social
Boricua 🇵🇷 physician neuroscientist; Mom,
Peds Neurogenetics 🧠🧬 @CHOP/UPenn, mitochondriac, my lab works on mechanisms of pediatric neurodegeneration
#raredisease #TBCK
https://www.med.upenn.edu/oglab/
opinion = my own
Peds Neurogenetics 🧠🧬 @CHOP/UPenn, mitochondriac, my lab works on mechanisms of pediatric neurodegeneration
#raredisease #TBCK
https://www.med.upenn.edu/oglab/
opinion = my own
Pinned
Good way to start fresh here is to thank all who made our TBCK Foundation meeting a great success! Was especially proud that the meeting was hosted for the first time in PR; max inclusivity +fun!🇵🇷
Always impactful for scientists to experience first hand the why of our research
#raredisease
Always impactful for scientists to experience first hand the why of our research
#raredisease
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Because of technical issues with the SciENcv website, NIH is extending a period of leniency accepting old format biosketches through May 2026 (see FAQ #5):
grants.nih.gov/faqs#/common...
grants.nih.gov/faqs#/common...
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) | Grants & Funding
grants.nih.gov
January 29, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Because of technical issues with the SciENcv website, NIH is extending a period of leniency accepting old format biosketches through May 2026 (see FAQ #5):
grants.nih.gov/faqs#/common...
grants.nih.gov/faqs#/common...
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
The scale of the loss is unimaginable.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
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
www.science.org
January 28, 2026 at 12:48 PM
The scale of the loss is unimaginable.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
After being held in two of them as a boy, I fought for decades urging America to never again build concentration camps and put human beings in them. It breaks my heart to watch this happen twice now in my own lifetime.
January 27, 2026 at 9:30 PM
After being held in two of them as a boy, I fought for decades urging America to never again build concentration camps and put human beings in them. It breaks my heart to watch this happen twice now in my own lifetime.
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
The heartbreak is that we all know those nurses: the ones who don’t compartmentalize to the hospital, but are always caring for the people around them.
January 25, 2026 at 3:47 AM
The heartbreak is that we all know those nurses: the ones who don’t compartmentalize to the hospital, but are always caring for the people around them.
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Minnesota is the best of us.
January 23, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Minnesota is the best of us.
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
🧪IMPORTANT! This graphic explains how science all over the US is funded. Congress approved a 2% increase in the #NIH budget for FY 26.
Buried in the bill-
Shift of ~40% of grants to MYF. This will still result in a 35% DECREASE in the NUMBER of grants funded per yr.
Russel Vought is behind this.
Buried in the bill-
Shift of ~40% of grants to MYF. This will still result in a 35% DECREASE in the NUMBER of grants funded per yr.
Russel Vought is behind this.
January 22, 2026 at 1:25 AM
🧪IMPORTANT! This graphic explains how science all over the US is funded. Congress approved a 2% increase in the #NIH budget for FY 26.
Buried in the bill-
Shift of ~40% of grants to MYF. This will still result in a 35% DECREASE in the NUMBER of grants funded per yr.
Russel Vought is behind this.
Buried in the bill-
Shift of ~40% of grants to MYF. This will still result in a 35% DECREASE in the NUMBER of grants funded per yr.
Russel Vought is behind this.
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
🚨BREAKING: ICE agents just launched flash bang grenades at protesters in front of federal building in Minneapolis—causing massive explosions. "It's terrorizing, this isn't the America I served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy," tearful protester tells us.
WE'RE LIVE NOW ⬇️
WE'RE LIVE NOW ⬇️
January 14, 2026 at 12:43 AM
🚨BREAKING: ICE agents just launched flash bang grenades at protesters in front of federal building in Minneapolis—causing massive explosions. "It's terrorizing, this isn't the America I served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy," tearful protester tells us.
WE'RE LIVE NOW ⬇️
WE'RE LIVE NOW ⬇️
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Know who profits from ICE's cruelty. https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/ice-businesses-boycott-campaign/
Want to Stop ICE? Go After Its Corporate Collaborators.
ICE can’t function without help from the private sector. So we should force the private sector to stop helping.
www.thenation.com
January 11, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Know who profits from ICE's cruelty. https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/ice-businesses-boycott-campaign/
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
So which lawmaker is going to write the Renee Good Act to disarm ICE? @thedemcoalition.bsky.social @aoc.bsky.social @robertgarcia.bsky.social @raskin.house.gov @crockett.house.gov @edmarkey.bsky.social @warren.senate.gov ?
January 9, 2026 at 12:19 AM
So which lawmaker is going to write the Renee Good Act to disarm ICE? @thedemcoalition.bsky.social @aoc.bsky.social @robertgarcia.bsky.social @raskin.house.gov @crockett.house.gov @edmarkey.bsky.social @warren.senate.gov ?
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Border Patrol officers arrived at a Minneapolis high school while students were leaving and tackled, sprayed chemical irritants, and handcuffed parents and teachers.
Public high schools in Minneapolis have canceled classes for the rest of the week following the incident.
Public high schools in Minneapolis have canceled classes for the rest of the week following the incident.
January 8, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Border Patrol officers arrived at a Minneapolis high school while students were leaving and tackled, sprayed chemical irritants, and handcuffed parents and teachers.
Public high schools in Minneapolis have canceled classes for the rest of the week following the incident.
Public high schools in Minneapolis have canceled classes for the rest of the week following the incident.
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
This. A government agency who is able to kill anybody with impunity is able to kill any of us with impunity
Right. The point is not “it matters extra because it’s a citizen,” the point is “we either hang together or we will all hang separately.”
i think it is ok to reiterate that the victim as a us citizen. yes, noncitizens are equally entitled to human rights. but also, it's important to illustrate how ice isn't about immigration at all
January 8, 2026 at 3:27 AM
This. A government agency who is able to kill anybody with impunity is able to kill any of us with impunity
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Doctors who care for children’s brains know this: Childhood vaccines save lives. They significantly reduce serious illness and death in children and help protect entire communities. 🔗 Read our full statement: https://ow.ly/qU4O50XSeSm
January 6, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Doctors who care for children’s brains know this: Childhood vaccines save lives. They significantly reduce serious illness and death in children and help protect entire communities. 🔗 Read our full statement: https://ow.ly/qU4O50XSeSm
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that the Trump administration could not make drastic cuts to the federal funding supporting much of the country’s medical and scientific research, reaffirming a lower court’s ruling from early last year.
Appeals Court Upholds Prohibition on Trump’s Medical Research Cuts
www.nytimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 1:53 AM
A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that the Trump administration could not make drastic cuts to the federal funding supporting much of the country’s medical and scientific research, reaffirming a lower court’s ruling from early last year.
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
We see that Bhattacharya's opinion is highly valued within HHS.
"Dr. Koroshetz's performance as Director has been exceptional; however the Department of Health and Human Services elected to pursue a leadership transition."
Not even the integrity for anyone (e.g. RFK, Jr.) to claim responsibility.
"Dr. Koroshetz's performance as Director has been exceptional; however the Department of Health and Human Services elected to pursue a leadership transition."
Not even the integrity for anyone (e.g. RFK, Jr.) to claim responsibility.
December 30, 2025 at 9:47 PM
We see that Bhattacharya's opinion is highly valued within HHS.
"Dr. Koroshetz's performance as Director has been exceptional; however the Department of Health and Human Services elected to pursue a leadership transition."
Not even the integrity for anyone (e.g. RFK, Jr.) to claim responsibility.
"Dr. Koroshetz's performance as Director has been exceptional; however the Department of Health and Human Services elected to pursue a leadership transition."
Not even the integrity for anyone (e.g. RFK, Jr.) to claim responsibility.
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
This settlement is the best case scenario for these applications at this point.
Pushing back matters but real damage still done by illegal actions by the current NIH leadership.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this settlement happen!
Pushing back matters but real damage still done by illegal actions by the current NIH leadership.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this settlement happen!
December 30, 2025 at 1:06 AM
This settlement is the best case scenario for these applications at this point.
Pushing back matters but real damage still done by illegal actions by the current NIH leadership.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this settlement happen!
Pushing back matters but real damage still done by illegal actions by the current NIH leadership.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this settlement happen!
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
I believe this meme speaks for most in healthcare, science, public health, global health, research, and anyone wanted a return to precedented times.
December 30, 2025 at 1:20 AM
I believe this meme speaks for most in healthcare, science, public health, global health, research, and anyone wanted a return to precedented times.
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Great pre-doc opportunities at @econ.uzh.ch in Zurich for aspiring PhD candidates from low- & middle income countries or with a refugee/asylum seeker background.
Predoctoral Program Global Talent Common Application: www.facultyhiring.oec.uzh.ch/auth/Apply/0... Please share widely in your networks!
Predoctoral Program Global Talent Common Application: www.facultyhiring.oec.uzh.ch/auth/Apply/0... Please share widely in your networks!
December 29, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Great pre-doc opportunities at @econ.uzh.ch in Zurich for aspiring PhD candidates from low- & middle income countries or with a refugee/asylum seeker background.
Predoctoral Program Global Talent Common Application: www.facultyhiring.oec.uzh.ch/auth/Apply/0... Please share widely in your networks!
Predoctoral Program Global Talent Common Application: www.facultyhiring.oec.uzh.ch/auth/Apply/0... Please share widely in your networks!
Out today! Taking the diagnostic challenges from clinic into the lab bench to learn from our rare disease patients
Thanks to David Yule and his team for partnering with us in this project
www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
Thanks to David Yule and his team for partnering with us in this project
www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
Expanding the Early Childhood Manifestations of ITPR1 Heterozygous Variants Beyond Congenital Ataxia and Gillespie Syndrome | Neurology Genetics
Background and ObjectivesHeterozygous ITPR1 variants have been previously linked to multiple human disease phenotypes, including
congenital ataxia and Gillespie syndrome. Previous reports have describ...
www.neurology.org
December 16, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Out today! Taking the diagnostic challenges from clinic into the lab bench to learn from our rare disease patients
Thanks to David Yule and his team for partnering with us in this project
www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
Thanks to David Yule and his team for partnering with us in this project
www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
New paper from @zhixingchen2.bsky.social's lab!
It turns out that, in addition to its very low phototoxicity, PKmito Deep Red (PKMDR) directly reports on mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in live cells through its lifetime!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
It turns out that, in addition to its very low phototoxicity, PKmito Deep Red (PKMDR) directly reports on mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in live cells through its lifetime!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 16, 2025 at 12:11 PM
New paper from @zhixingchen2.bsky.social's lab!
It turns out that, in addition to its very low phototoxicity, PKmito Deep Red (PKMDR) directly reports on mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in live cells through its lifetime!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
It turns out that, in addition to its very low phototoxicity, PKmito Deep Red (PKMDR) directly reports on mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in live cells through its lifetime!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Sometimes I sit and think about what it means that our nation has so completely tied health insurance to working and that is:
“If you can’t work and aren’t independently wealthy, you can just go ahead and die!”
And it’s so messed up.
“If you can’t work and aren’t independently wealthy, you can just go ahead and die!”
And it’s so messed up.
December 12, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Sometimes I sit and think about what it means that our nation has so completely tied health insurance to working and that is:
“If you can’t work and aren’t independently wealthy, you can just go ahead and die!”
And it’s so messed up.
“If you can’t work and aren’t independently wealthy, you can just go ahead and die!”
And it’s so messed up.
Proud to contribute to this effort to expand our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms for CASK with a great team
New research into CASK:
Dr. Tibbe, Dr. Kreienkamp’s lab, and Dr. Pak’s lab uncover how CASK’s domains work together in a U-shaped structure to bind key partners like Neurexin. These insights help map treatment targets. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Dr. Tibbe, Dr. Kreienkamp’s lab, and Dr. Pak’s lab uncover how CASK’s domains work together in a U-shaped structure to bind key partners like Neurexin. These insights help map treatment targets. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
December 7, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Proud to contribute to this effort to expand our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms for CASK with a great team
Reposted by Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez MD PhD
Of babies infected w/Hepatitis B, 90% develop chronic infection.
Of those, 1 in 4 will DIE.
They lose the ability to get rid of toxins & make important proteins. Their skin yellows, their abdomen swells, they’re uncomfortable. A fate no one deserves.
One we can avoid w/ vaccination.
.
Of those, 1 in 4 will DIE.
They lose the ability to get rid of toxins & make important proteins. Their skin yellows, their abdomen swells, they’re uncomfortable. A fate no one deserves.
One we can avoid w/ vaccination.
.
December 6, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Of babies infected w/Hepatitis B, 90% develop chronic infection.
Of those, 1 in 4 will DIE.
They lose the ability to get rid of toxins & make important proteins. Their skin yellows, their abdomen swells, they’re uncomfortable. A fate no one deserves.
One we can avoid w/ vaccination.
.
Of those, 1 in 4 will DIE.
They lose the ability to get rid of toxins & make important proteins. Their skin yellows, their abdomen swells, they’re uncomfortable. A fate no one deserves.
One we can avoid w/ vaccination.
.