Morgan Philbin, PhD
@morganphilbin.bsky.social
Associate Prof at UCSF & BHHI; formerly at Columbia Public Health; works on health equity, social policy, housing, LGBTQ+ youth, HIV and drug use. Outside of that: nature, jogging slowly, gardening with benign neglect, Dodgers & Valkyries fan
Pinned
I finally joined Bluesky (late to the party, I know I know) so any recs of who to follow or how to figure out this platform are much appreciated.
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
Budget released today:
40% cut to NIH
50% cut to NSF
If enacted, this will destroy academic research in the United States. It will also have a major trickle down effect on the entire academic ecosystem
40% cut to NIH
50% cut to NSF
If enacted, this will destroy academic research in the United States. It will also have a major trickle down effect on the entire academic ecosystem
May 2, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Budget released today:
40% cut to NIH
50% cut to NSF
If enacted, this will destroy academic research in the United States. It will also have a major trickle down effect on the entire academic ecosystem
40% cut to NIH
50% cut to NSF
If enacted, this will destroy academic research in the United States. It will also have a major trickle down effect on the entire academic ecosystem
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
there's a county in Alabama where Black people are literally getting sick because the government doesn't provide a working sewer system, and Trump's Justice Department is trying to keep it that way
apparently Black people with indoor plumbing is "illegal DEI"
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
apparently Black people with indoor plumbing is "illegal DEI"
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
Trump DOJ: Providing Basic Sewer Services to Black People Is Actually “Illegal DEI”
The Trump administration has nixed a 2023 settlement that was building modern sanitation infrastructure in Lowndes County, a predominantly Black county in Alabama.
ballsandstrikes.org
April 21, 2025 at 5:39 PM
there's a county in Alabama where Black people are literally getting sick because the government doesn't provide a working sewer system, and Trump's Justice Department is trying to keep it that way
apparently Black people with indoor plumbing is "illegal DEI"
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
apparently Black people with indoor plumbing is "illegal DEI"
ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
If "protests in all 50 states" wanted above-the-fold coverage in @nytimes.com, they should have been "seven random Americans" instead
April 5, 2025 at 5:27 PM
If "protests in all 50 states" wanted above-the-fold coverage in @nytimes.com, they should have been "seven random Americans" instead
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
I will never never forget living through the summer of '95 in Chicago during grad school with no AC. We slept on the cement floor in lab. So so many elderly folks died. Closing the LIHEAP program, which still has millions left to distribute is evil callous cruelty.
Fuck these eugenic assholes.
Fuck these eugenic assholes.
This is going to kill people. I work in housing aid in Chicago. The '95 heat wave left 739 people dead in less than a week. LIHEAP has been a critical resource in preventing that from happening again.
April 3, 2025 at 2:59 AM
I will never never forget living through the summer of '95 in Chicago during grad school with no AC. We slept on the cement floor in lab. So so many elderly folks died. Closing the LIHEAP program, which still has millions left to distribute is evil callous cruelty.
Fuck these eugenic assholes.
Fuck these eugenic assholes.
Your daily reminder that health, particularly women’s health, remains under attack from every angle in this country….
Here’s everything you need to know about the South Carolina lawsuit that has national implications for birth control, STI testing, and more.
www.jezebel.com/the-wtf-is-h...
www.jezebel.com/the-wtf-is-h...
The ‘WTF Is Happening’ Guide to the Planned Parenthood Case at the Supreme Court
Here’s everything you need to know about the South Carolina lawsuit that has national implications for birth control, STI testing, and more.
www.jezebel.com
April 2, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Your daily reminder that health, particularly women’s health, remains under attack from every angle in this country….
The PRAMS data are vital for shaping evidence based clinical care; their loss will lead to increases in morbidity and mortality. It’s absolutely unconscionable….
Everyone who works for PRAMS (the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) at CDC was terminated today. That appears to be the end of a critical program which monitored infant and maternal health nationwide across pregnancy, childbirth & postpartum. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/prams...
PRAMS Shuttered for Good
In the first weeks of the administration I wrote a number of...
talkingpointsmemo.com
April 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
The PRAMS data are vital for shaping evidence based clinical care; their loss will lead to increases in morbidity and mortality. It’s absolutely unconscionable….
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
Everyone who works for PRAMS (the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) at CDC was terminated today. That appears to be the end of a critical program which monitored infant and maternal health nationwide across pregnancy, childbirth & postpartum. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/prams...
PRAMS Shuttered for Good
In the first weeks of the administration I wrote a number of...
talkingpointsmemo.com
April 1, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Everyone who works for PRAMS (the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) at CDC was terminated today. That appears to be the end of a critical program which monitored infant and maternal health nationwide across pregnancy, childbirth & postpartum. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/prams...
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
The entire National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) team at SAMHSA was terminated today.
Do not listen to the platitudes of this administration when they say they care about drug overdose, addiction, mental health, or suicide.
Do not listen to the platitudes of this administration when they say they care about drug overdose, addiction, mental health, or suicide.
April 1, 2025 at 1:44 PM
The entire National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) team at SAMHSA was terminated today.
Do not listen to the platitudes of this administration when they say they care about drug overdose, addiction, mental health, or suicide.
Do not listen to the platitudes of this administration when they say they care about drug overdose, addiction, mental health, or suicide.
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
The HHS reorganizing--nice overview, including an org chart that suggests issues. E.g., "NIH is 1st & foremost a research agency...CDC is a public hlth agency...putting 'sci into action'... (M)oving key Centers out of (CDC)...thus removes the 'action' component, potentially resulting in gaps..." 🛟🧪😷
HHS Re-Org: Implications for Public Health
The HHS reorganization could create gaps in state, local, and tribal public health programs.
hepayne.substack.com
March 31, 2025 at 10:45 AM
The HHS reorganizing--nice overview, including an org chart that suggests issues. E.g., "NIH is 1st & foremost a research agency...CDC is a public hlth agency...putting 'sci into action'... (M)oving key Centers out of (CDC)...thus removes the 'action' component, potentially resulting in gaps..." 🛟🧪😷
Who else is at SBM with us??
🚨 The countdown is ON! 🚨 We’re just 13 days away from #SBM2025! 🎉
Who are you most excited to network with, learn from, or finally meet in person? Tag them below and start the conversation early! 👇 #SBM #Networking #CountdownToSBM2025
Who are you most excited to network with, learn from, or finally meet in person? Tag them below and start the conversation early! 👇 #SBM #Networking #CountdownToSBM2025
March 27, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Who else is at SBM with us??
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
The detention of Mahmoud Khalil puts all Americans fundamental rights at risk. And if you can’t see that because you oppose his politics, well that’s exactly the reaction Trump and his cronies are counting on. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Mahmoud Khalil’s Detention Is a Trial Run
The pro-Palestine student was arrested without due process for exercising his right to free speech. He will not be the last.
www.theatlantic.com
March 11, 2025 at 5:21 PM
The detention of Mahmoud Khalil puts all Americans fundamental rights at risk. And if you can’t see that because you oppose his politics, well that’s exactly the reaction Trump and his cronies are counting on. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
Scientists need to realize this list will grow. It used to be abortion and climate change. Staying quiet won’t keep your area off lists like this.
The National Cancer Institute (part of NIH) released new guidelines for "controversial, high-profile or sensitive" keywords that require "review prior to publication" if included in a product or materials.
Keywords include abortion, obesity, and peanut allergies.
Keywords include abortion, obesity, and peanut allergies.
March 7, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Scientists need to realize this list will grow. It used to be abortion and climate change. Staying quiet won’t keep your area off lists like this.
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
No you didn't. You just weren't paying attention.
-
Photo: Maddie McGarvey for the New York Times.
-
Photo: Maddie McGarvey for the New York Times.
March 7, 2025 at 7:16 PM
No you didn't. You just weren't paying attention.
-
Photo: Maddie McGarvey for the New York Times.
-
Photo: Maddie McGarvey for the New York Times.
This list of words to avoid is terrifying, and obviously has zero scientific rationale (you can't even study mice w/o 'sex'..)
And the fact that the "Gulf of Mexico" is on the list next to DEI, BIPOC and LGBTQ shows just how asinine this whole endeavor is...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
And the fact that the "Gulf of Mexico" is on the list next to DEI, BIPOC and LGBTQ shows just how asinine this whole endeavor is...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The Words Federal Agencies Are Removing From Their Sites Under Trump
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
March 7, 2025 at 7:33 PM
This list of words to avoid is terrifying, and obviously has zero scientific rationale (you can't even study mice w/o 'sex'..)
And the fact that the "Gulf of Mexico" is on the list next to DEI, BIPOC and LGBTQ shows just how asinine this whole endeavor is...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
And the fact that the "Gulf of Mexico" is on the list next to DEI, BIPOC and LGBTQ shows just how asinine this whole endeavor is...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Sitting on the sidelines won't save institutions, federal grants, or the people we need to be rallying behind with our science and advocacy.
Get out there and fight back, especially if you're an institution with money and power.
www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/03...
Get out there and fight back, especially if you're an institution with money and power.
www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/03...
Trump administration cuts $400 million in federal funding to Columbia
<i>This is a developing story. Check back for updates.</i>
www.columbiaspectator.com
March 7, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Sitting on the sidelines won't save institutions, federal grants, or the people we need to be rallying behind with our science and advocacy.
Get out there and fight back, especially if you're an institution with money and power.
www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/03...
Get out there and fight back, especially if you're an institution with money and power.
www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/03...
While I have so many issues with what the Enola Gay did, I can def get behind it's new status as a queer icon 🏳️🌈...
(The pentagon wiped records of the Enola Gay because it ran afoul of Trump's BS gender ideology 🙄)
people.com/pentagon-wip...
(The pentagon wiped records of the Enola Gay because it ran afoul of Trump's BS gender ideology 🙄)
people.com/pentagon-wip...
Pentagon Wipes Records of Famed WWII Plane 'Enola Gay,' Named After the Pilot's Mom, Because 'DEI Is Dead'
A Defense Department purge of 'DEI' content has caused tens of thousands of photos and stories to be flagged for deletion, many of which have nothing to do with DEI. One image on the chopping block is...
people.com
March 7, 2025 at 7:11 PM
While I have so many issues with what the Enola Gay did, I can def get behind it's new status as a queer icon 🏳️🌈...
(The pentagon wiped records of the Enola Gay because it ran afoul of Trump's BS gender ideology 🙄)
people.com/pentagon-wip...
(The pentagon wiped records of the Enola Gay because it ran afoul of Trump's BS gender ideology 🙄)
people.com/pentagon-wip...
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
Thanks to @ryanenos.bsky.social & Steven Levitsky for calling on Harvard to stand up for democracy. From Orban to Modi, authoritarians depend on the silence of academic institutions like ours. We need to speak up while we still can. There is no room for cowardice.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Harvard Must Take a Stand for Democracy | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
To silence ourselves in the name of neutrality would not only violate our own policy but also abdicate our broader civil responsibility.
www.thecrimson.com
March 6, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Thanks to @ryanenos.bsky.social & Steven Levitsky for calling on Harvard to stand up for democracy. From Orban to Modi, authoritarians depend on the silence of academic institutions like ours. We need to speak up while we still can. There is no room for cowardice.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
I’m assuming that when Jeff Bezos says “personal liberties” he means abortion rights and gender identity, right??? Right???
SCOOP: WaPo Opinion editor David Shipley is out. Jeff Bezos emails staff about a change to Post Opinions: "We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets."
February 26, 2025 at 10:57 PM
I’m assuming that when Jeff Bezos says “personal liberties” he means abortion rights and gender identity, right??? Right???
Sharing a new @jama.com paper on substance use in homeless populations (see thread below).
As people who use drugs and experience homelessness become increasingly marginalized we need data like these to highlight relevant policy interventions vs criminalization.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
As people who use drugs and experience homelessness become increasingly marginalized we need data like these to highlight relevant policy interventions vs criminalization.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
February 19, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Sharing a new @jama.com paper on substance use in homeless populations (see thread below).
As people who use drugs and experience homelessness become increasingly marginalized we need data like these to highlight relevant policy interventions vs criminalization.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
As people who use drugs and experience homelessness become increasingly marginalized we need data like these to highlight relevant policy interventions vs criminalization.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
All of the inane Trump firings are horrific, and as somebody who grew up spending lots of time in nature and using it as a form of solace this hits particularly close to home 🌳🏕️
www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
Yosemite halts camping reservations, with no timetable for their return
Yosemite halts camping reservations, with no timetable for their return at a time when federal employees are being laid off
www.sfchronicle.com
February 19, 2025 at 5:08 AM
All of the inane Trump firings are horrific, and as somebody who grew up spending lots of time in nature and using it as a form of solace this hits particularly close to home 🌳🏕️
www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
Our two papers on abortion bans and fertility/infant mortality are now out.
In 14 states w/ abortion bans, fertility increased 1.7% and infant mortality increased 6%.
Key takeaway is that these impacts were disproportionately felt among those w/ greatest structural disadvantages.
Links below.
In 14 states w/ abortion bans, fertility increased 1.7% and infant mortality increased 6%.
Key takeaway is that these impacts were disproportionately felt among those w/ greatest structural disadvantages.
Links below.
🧵 US states that implemented abortion bans saw higher than expected infant mortality rates, with larger increases among Black infants and those in southern states, according to this analysis of US national vital statistics data from 2012–2023.
ja.ma/4aVchPn
#MedSky
ja.ma/4aVchPn
#MedSky
February 13, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Our two papers on abortion bans and fertility/infant mortality are now out.
In 14 states w/ abortion bans, fertility increased 1.7% and infant mortality increased 6%.
Key takeaway is that these impacts were disproportionately felt among those w/ greatest structural disadvantages.
Links below.
In 14 states w/ abortion bans, fertility increased 1.7% and infant mortality increased 6%.
Key takeaway is that these impacts were disproportionately felt among those w/ greatest structural disadvantages.
Links below.
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
One of the most important roles of the NSF is to support science and tech ecosystem in the US. This ecosystem drives basic science breakthroughs that industry can build on. It also supports the education of a skilled workforce so that actual tech firms don’t have to hire utter imbeciles like these.
Anyone Can Push Updates to the DOGE.gov Website
"THESE 'EXPERTS' LEFT THEIR DATABASE OPEN."
www.404media.co
February 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
One of the most important roles of the NSF is to support science and tech ecosystem in the US. This ecosystem drives basic science breakthroughs that industry can build on. It also supports the education of a skilled workforce so that actual tech firms don’t have to hire utter imbeciles like these.
Reposted by Morgan Philbin, PhD
BREAKING: StatNews reports that more than 5,000 HHS employees across NIH, CDC and other public health and research agencies will be fired this afternoon. www.statnews.com/2025/02/14/f...
Trump administration to fire thousands at health agencies
The Trump administration is set to eliminate thousands of federal health care jobs Friday, targeting employees across agencies who were hired in the past one to two years.
www.statnews.com
February 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
BREAKING: StatNews reports that more than 5,000 HHS employees across NIH, CDC and other public health and research agencies will be fired this afternoon. www.statnews.com/2025/02/14/f...
Taking this as a definite win since I wasn't expecting something being illegal to actually stop anybody in this administration...
popular.info/p/breaking-n...
popular.info/p/breaking-n...
BREAKING: NIH admits funding freeze is illegal, will resume issuing grants
An internal memo issued February 12 was obtained by Popular Information.
popular.info
February 12, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Taking this as a definite win since I wasn't expecting something being illegal to actually stop anybody in this administration...
popular.info/p/breaking-n...
popular.info/p/breaking-n...