Rick
@rickv43.bsky.social
Good public policy enthusiast | Healthcare advocate
This is unfortunate. Would be interesting to understand the rationale behind this decision
Sanofi scraps plan to develop next-generation mRNA seasonal flu vaccine
The company, however, continues to work on a phase 1/2 study of its H5 mRNA flu vaccine for pandemic preparedness
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i...
The company, however, continues to work on a phase 1/2 study of its H5 mRNA flu vaccine for pandemic preparedness
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i...
January 30, 2026 at 7:50 PM
This is unfortunate. Would be interesting to understand the rationale behind this decision
Here is real data to quantify the substantial exodus of expertise and talent across many agencies and domains from the federal government during the Trump administration. I don't think anyone can say with a straight face this is not very bad for the country.
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 5:10 PM
Here is real data to quantify the substantial exodus of expertise and talent across many agencies and domains from the federal government during the Trump administration. I don't think anyone can say with a straight face this is not very bad for the country.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Rick
WHO removing Us Flag
January 23, 2026 at 9:45 PM
WHO removing Us Flag
Hopefully, HHS will in fact distance themselves, however, they have not demonstrated much restraint in pursuing their ideologically driven health agenda so far. The polio vaccine as an example is not mandatory so there is your personal choice but to participate fully in society, after all, we do
Milhoan has more to say, not just on measles, but on polio.
The Chair of ACIP has no business being in this type of leadership position. As @apoorvanyt.bsky.social reports, HHS declined to comment on Milhoan's views.
Perhaps he whistled too loudly, even for RFK Jr.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/h...
The Chair of ACIP has no business being in this type of leadership position. As @apoorvanyt.bsky.social reports, HHS declined to comment on Milhoan's views.
Perhaps he whistled too loudly, even for RFK Jr.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/h...
Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional
www.nytimes.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Hopefully, HHS will in fact distance themselves, however, they have not demonstrated much restraint in pursuing their ideologically driven health agenda so far. The polio vaccine as an example is not mandatory so there is your personal choice but to participate fully in society, after all, we do
More self inflicted harm with broad consequences I suspect this administration does not even grasp.
January 16, 2026 at 4:58 PM
More self inflicted harm with broad consequences I suspect this administration does not even grasp.
Reposted by Rick
Good morning. We woke up today thinking of the Japanese art of kitsugi, repairing broken pottery with gold, not to hide the flaws, but to turn them into something beautiful.
Our country has broken in many ways. Let’s be the gold that mends the cracks.
Our country has broken in many ways. Let’s be the gold that mends the cracks.
The Art of Healing: Reflections from Kintsugi Artist Naoko Fukumaru – Portland Japanese Garden
Kintsugi artist and conservator Naoko Fukumaru shares her thoughts on Portland Japanese Garden and her artform.
japanesegarden.org
January 12, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Good morning. We woke up today thinking of the Japanese art of kitsugi, repairing broken pottery with gold, not to hide the flaws, but to turn them into something beautiful.
Our country has broken in many ways. Let’s be the gold that mends the cracks.
Our country has broken in many ways. Let’s be the gold that mends the cracks.
Reposted by Rick
Career CDC scientists were blindsided by Monday's vaccine schedule changes. No consultation with experts. A 31-page presentation showing the US isn't an outlier was ignored.
@lenasun.bsky.social, @laurenweberhp.bsky.social, & @paigecunningham.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
@lenasun.bsky.social, @laurenweberhp.bsky.social, & @paigecunningham.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
CDC staff ‘blindsided’ as child vaccine schedule unilaterally overhauled
The Trump administration took unprecedented steps to recommend fewer vaccines for children without extensive consultations with career scientists.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Career CDC scientists were blindsided by Monday's vaccine schedule changes. No consultation with experts. A 31-page presentation showing the US isn't an outlier was ignored.
@lenasun.bsky.social, @laurenweberhp.bsky.social, & @paigecunningham.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
@lenasun.bsky.social, @laurenweberhp.bsky.social, & @paigecunningham.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
I guess if you don't believe in germ theory this makes some sense and we are on our way back to blood letting and bad humors
RFK Jr's HHS had a press call to announce they were — based on no new data — overhauling the childhood vaccine schedule. Senior officials at HHS answered questions but refused to go on the record, saying we could only attribute the quotes to "officials." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
U.S. overhauls childhood vaccine schedule, recommends fewer shots
The U.S. no longer broadly recommends vaccines for flu, hepatitis A and B, and RSV. Health officials say the guidance aligns with that of peer countries.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:06 PM
I guess if you don't believe in germ theory this makes some sense and we are on our way back to blood letting and bad humors
Reposted by Rick
Inbox: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s board has voted to dissolve the organization following Congress pulling its federal funding
January 5, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Inbox: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s board has voted to dissolve the organization following Congress pulling its federal funding
Good article with real world reporting on how our current healthcare system is failing people and how the cuts, particularly, Medicaid will make this situation even worse.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Cuts Are About to Make Health Care Even Worse
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Good article with real world reporting on how our current healthcare system is failing people and how the cuts, particularly, Medicaid will make this situation even worse.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Reposted by Rick
A really important piece. The times when we have opened our country to talented people from around the world are among the moments when America has been truly great. Trump is destroying that legacy and fomenting unconscionable racism.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
Opinion | One of America’s Most Successful Experiments Is Coming to a Shuddering Halt
www.nytimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 12:37 PM
A really important piece. The times when we have opened our country to talented people from around the world are among the moments when America has been truly great. Trump is destroying that legacy and fomenting unconscionable racism.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
Reposted by Rick
THREAD.
My parents' cat Bridget vanished. As the weeks dragged on they became ever more worried, so to distract himself my dad began to paint Bridget's adventures, imagining her travelling through time and popping up at some of art & music's most important moments.
I've collected his work here...
My parents' cat Bridget vanished. As the weeks dragged on they became ever more worried, so to distract himself my dad began to paint Bridget's adventures, imagining her travelling through time and popping up at some of art & music's most important moments.
I've collected his work here...
December 20, 2025 at 9:21 AM
THREAD.
My parents' cat Bridget vanished. As the weeks dragged on they became ever more worried, so to distract himself my dad began to paint Bridget's adventures, imagining her travelling through time and popping up at some of art & music's most important moments.
I've collected his work here...
My parents' cat Bridget vanished. As the weeks dragged on they became ever more worried, so to distract himself my dad began to paint Bridget's adventures, imagining her travelling through time and popping up at some of art & music's most important moments.
I've collected his work here...
Good article in Stat on the impact of NIH cuts.
"The NIH system is imperfect, requires reform (by those who know the difference between a scalpel and an axe) — and has also yielded enormous successes. NIH-funded research contributed to more than 99% of FDA-approved drugs between 2010 and 2019."
"The NIH system is imperfect, requires reform (by those who know the difference between a scalpel and an axe) — and has also yielded enormous successes. NIH-funded research contributed to more than 99% of FDA-approved drugs between 2010 and 2019."
December 18, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Good article in Stat on the impact of NIH cuts.
"The NIH system is imperfect, requires reform (by those who know the difference between a scalpel and an axe) — and has also yielded enormous successes. NIH-funded research contributed to more than 99% of FDA-approved drugs between 2010 and 2019."
"The NIH system is imperfect, requires reform (by those who know the difference between a scalpel and an axe) — and has also yielded enormous successes. NIH-funded research contributed to more than 99% of FDA-approved drugs between 2010 and 2019."
Reposted by Rick
Having a hard time understanding how you could justify running this interview as it was. It seems to serve only to further confuse the reader about the truth.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
This vaccine adviser to RFK Jr. has some choice words for his critics
MIT business professor Retsef Levi teaches about how health care decisions are made, but isn’t a doctor.
www.politico.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Having a hard time understanding how you could justify running this interview as it was. It seems to serve only to further confuse the reader about the truth.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Rick
A tiny trial in New York has shown that personalized mRNA vaccines can provoke massive, lasting immune responses against pancreatic cancer, even as sweeping federal cuts now threaten the fragile labs required to produce them.
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/a-breakthr...
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/a-breakthr...
December 12, 2025 at 4:02 PM
A tiny trial in New York has shown that personalized mRNA vaccines can provoke massive, lasting immune responses against pancreatic cancer, even as sweeping federal cuts now threaten the fragile labs required to produce them.
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/a-breakthr...
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/a-breakthr...
Reposted by Rick
Health orgs asked Sec. Noem to exempt health care workers from the new $100K H-1B visa fee. They haven't received a response.
Learn about a rural hospital that may have to pay the fee after it received job apps from international, but no American workers.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Learn about a rural hospital that may have to pay the fee after it received job apps from international, but no American workers.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Rural Health Providers Could Be Collateral Damage From $100K Trump Visa Fee - KFF Health News
Dozens of health care organizations have asked the Trump administration to shield the doctors, nurses, and techs they need to fill shortages from the president’s new $100,000 visa fee for skilled fore...
kffhealthnews.org
December 9, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Health orgs asked Sec. Noem to exempt health care workers from the new $100K H-1B visa fee. They haven't received a response.
Learn about a rural hospital that may have to pay the fee after it received job apps from international, but no American workers.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Learn about a rural hospital that may have to pay the fee after it received job apps from international, but no American workers.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
A case study in how the HHS dysfunctional policies and the massive cuts to Medicaid are converging with equally dysfunctional immigration policy to damage rural healthcare
A rural North Dakota hospital has been trying to hire a lab tech since late summer. No U.S. citizens have applied. Hiring a foreign applicant will mean paying the Trump administration’s new $100,000 H-1B visa fee.
Feds Promised ‘Radical Transparency' but Are Withholding Rural Health Fund Applications - KFF Health News
Proposals from states that have shared their applications to a new $50 billion rural health program include using drones to deliver medication, installing refrigerators to expand access to healthy produce, and bringing telehealth to libraries, day cares...
kffhealthnews.org
December 9, 2025 at 8:08 PM
A case study in how the HHS dysfunctional policies and the massive cuts to Medicaid are converging with equally dysfunctional immigration policy to damage rural healthcare
Reposted by Rick
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December 8, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Looking for a free way to support local journalism in DC?
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We have a goal to reach 3,000 new readers by the end of the year, 451 to go to reach 1000: 51st.news/signup
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Reposted by Rick
American Acad Peds: Downgrading Hep B infant vaccination guidance isn’t science — it’s misinformation.
The Hep B birth dose has prevented 99% of infant infections since 1991.
Why mess with what protects babies?
Full AAP statement here: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky #NurseSky #SciSky
The Hep B birth dose has prevented 99% of infant infections since 1991.
Why mess with what protects babies?
Full AAP statement here: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky #NurseSky #SciSky
December 5, 2025 at 4:43 PM
What a discouraging decision If you watched the ACIP meeting you will have no confidence in that group doing honest analysis. This is not based on good evidence and is pandering to a minority of people that have an anti-vaccine agenda based on personal opinion and vibes not good public health policy
This regressive move will literally kill people. It's making kids' liver cancer great again. And it's a sign of more harm to come.
CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine www.statnews.com/2025/12/05/c... via @statnews.com
CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine www.statnews.com/2025/12/05/c... via @statnews.com
CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine
The CDC's ACIP panel voted to recommend delaying the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, ending a policy that has reined in the virus.
www.statnews.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:04 PM
What a discouraging decision If you watched the ACIP meeting you will have no confidence in that group doing honest analysis. This is not based on good evidence and is pandering to a minority of people that have an anti-vaccine agenda based on personal opinion and vibes not good public health policy
Really discouraging
Gift article about the across-the-board *slowdown* in federal funding for science - on ALL the topics. But especially for up-and-coming scientists.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/... 🎁
www.nytimes.com/interactive/... 🎁
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine (Gift Article)
A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.
www.nytimes.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Really discouraging
Reposted by Rick
FDA official Vinay Prasad proposes ‘impossible’ standards for vaccine testing that could curtail access to immunizations.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
My latest story for @cidrap.bsky.social.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
My latest story for @cidrap.bsky.social.
FDA official proposes ‘impossible’ standards for vaccine testing that could curtail access to immunizations
www.cidrap.umn.edu
December 1, 2025 at 11:36 PM
FDA official Vinay Prasad proposes ‘impossible’ standards for vaccine testing that could curtail access to immunizations.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
My latest story for @cidrap.bsky.social.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
My latest story for @cidrap.bsky.social.
Reposted by Rick
The termination of 383 #NIH funded clinical trials included studies of Covid 19 & HIV. More than 100 grants funded #Cancer research terminated. Some clinical trials sites were shut down. 74,000 participants affected. Short-sighted actions will lead to long term losses.
🧪 archive.today/61Flc
🧪 archive.today/61Flc
Trump slashed spending on clinical trials. The toll is starting to become clear.
Grants for 383 clinical trials were terminated and the funding disruptions affected more than 74,000 trial participants, according to new research.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:34 PM
The termination of 383 #NIH funded clinical trials included studies of Covid 19 & HIV. More than 100 grants funded #Cancer research terminated. Some clinical trials sites were shut down. 74,000 participants affected. Short-sighted actions will lead to long term losses.
🧪 archive.today/61Flc
🧪 archive.today/61Flc
Reposted by Rick
Just an absolutely gutting essay by Tatiana Schlossberg, a writer, mother of two young children, and cousin of RFK Jr who is dying of leukemia.
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
November 22, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Just an absolutely gutting essay by Tatiana Schlossberg, a writer, mother of two young children, and cousin of RFK Jr who is dying of leukemia.
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...