Fiona Hollis
@fionahollis.bsky.social
Behavioral neuroscientist, mitochondrial enthusiast, mother of two. Assistant Professor @ University of South Carolina. Avid fan of photography, mountains, coffee, and cats. All posts represent personal views as a private citizen.
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
Excited to have my piece on perimenopause published @thetransmitter.bsky.social
"Perimenopause: An important—and understudied—transition for the brain"
We need more studies & better education -we need this to be mainstream- knowledge is power! #WomensHealth
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
"Perimenopause: An important—and understudied—transition for the brain"
We need more studies & better education -we need this to be mainstream- knowledge is power! #WomensHealth
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
Perimenopause: An understudied transition for the brain
We know little about the mechanisms underlying well-known perimenopause symptoms in the brain. More research—in animals and humans—is essential.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 12, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Excited to have my piece on perimenopause published @thetransmitter.bsky.social
"Perimenopause: An important—and understudied—transition for the brain"
We need more studies & better education -we need this to be mainstream- knowledge is power! #WomensHealth
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
"Perimenopause: An important—and understudied—transition for the brain"
We need more studies & better education -we need this to be mainstream- knowledge is power! #WomensHealth
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
I'm excited to share a new manuscript from the lab, out on bioRxiv and submitted to Clinical Science. So proud of Alexia Crockett for her efforts in her 1st first-author research article. Synopsis below.
Sex-specific effects of chronic unpredictable stress on mitochondrial function in the HPA axis in mice https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.28.667247v1
August 1, 2025 at 11:57 AM
I'm excited to share a new manuscript from the lab, out on bioRxiv and submitted to Clinical Science. So proud of Alexia Crockett for her efforts in her 1st first-author research article. Synopsis below.
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
The GOP plans to slash $2.1 Billion from the National Science Foundation. It won’t just hurt labs—it hurts students, startups, and the future economy. From clean energy to advanced manufacturing, these are jobs of tomorrow. These cuts hand American jobs and opportunity to our foreign competitors.
July 14, 2025 at 6:10 PM
The GOP plans to slash $2.1 Billion from the National Science Foundation. It won’t just hurt labs—it hurts students, startups, and the future economy. From clean energy to advanced manufacturing, these are jobs of tomorrow. These cuts hand American jobs and opportunity to our foreign competitors.
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
it's another purge: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Women, minorities fired in purge of NIH science review boards
Scientists, with expertise in fields that include mental health, cancer and infectious disease, typically serve five-year terms and were not given a reason for their dismissal.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 15, 2025 at 12:38 AM
it's another purge: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
🧪 After the workshop on 7/7, the FDA and NIH are asking for public comments on implementing novel methodologies and other strategies to reduce the use of animal testing by 7/14:
www.fda.gov/news-events/...
www.fda.gov/news-events/...
FDA-NIH Workshop: Reducing Animal Testing
The FDA is hosting a workshop on reducing animal testing. The workshop is open to current FDA and NIH employees.
www.fda.gov
July 10, 2025 at 8:13 PM
🧪 After the workshop on 7/7, the FDA and NIH are asking for public comments on implementing novel methodologies and other strategies to reduce the use of animal testing by 7/14:
www.fda.gov/news-events/...
www.fda.gov/news-events/...
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
NEW: I wrote about scientists who have been ghosted by the NIH.
The agency has disappeared dozens of grant applications. Not rejected them, but shoved them out of the peer-review pipeline into an administrative no-man’s land. And there’s no clear exit. www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The agency has disappeared dozens of grant applications. Not rejected them, but shoved them out of the peer-review pipeline into an administrative no-man’s land. And there’s no clear exit. www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The Scientists Who Got Ghosted by the NIH
Under Trump, their grant applications disappeared. What now?
www.chronicle.com
July 8, 2025 at 10:44 PM
NEW: I wrote about scientists who have been ghosted by the NIH.
The agency has disappeared dozens of grant applications. Not rejected them, but shoved them out of the peer-review pipeline into an administrative no-man’s land. And there’s no clear exit. www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The agency has disappeared dozens of grant applications. Not rejected them, but shoved them out of the peer-review pipeline into an administrative no-man’s land. And there’s no clear exit. www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
Trump’s NIH cuts aren’t just numbers. They are delayed cures, abandoned treatments, futures stolen, lives that will be lost. This is why we Stand Up For Science.
#StandUpForScience
#SummerFightForScience
#StandUpForScience
#SummerFightForScience
“I would like to cure brain cancer. I think that's not particularly controversial.” Be that as it may, the NIH terminated that scientist's grant. Here's a huge survey of the 2,500 grants that NIH has killed or delayed...so far. Gift link: nyti.ms/43Jz1yJ
June 4, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Trump’s NIH cuts aren’t just numbers. They are delayed cures, abandoned treatments, futures stolen, lives that will be lost. This is why we Stand Up For Science.
#StandUpForScience
#SummerFightForScience
#StandUpForScience
#SummerFightForScience
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
There's a lot of polling that Americans in general are in favor of things like international students, federal science funding, climate action, etc. This is good & important, but I do worry the right-wing mediasphere will be amping up attacks on these things, so we need to push back just as loudly
one last post on international students -- public opinion is not in the administration's favor on this, and universities should not let them forget it
June 2, 2025 at 1:55 PM
There's a lot of polling that Americans in general are in favor of things like international students, federal science funding, climate action, etc. This is good & important, but I do worry the right-wing mediasphere will be amping up attacks on these things, so we need to push back just as loudly
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
something that stands out about this is just how cheap it is for us to have world-leading scientific capacity
we spent ~6.75 trillion last year, and the combined budgets for NIH, NSF and NASA are barely more than 1% of that
what an incredible waste to lose it all for a drop in the bucket
we spent ~6.75 trillion last year, and the combined budgets for NIH, NSF and NASA are barely more than 1% of that
what an incredible waste to lose it all for a drop in the bucket
There are 2 previous historical cases of countries destroying their science and universities, crippling them for decades: Lysenkoism in the USSR and Nazi Germany. The Trump administration will be the 3rd.
It's not just budgets but research, institutions, expertise, and training the next generation.
It's not just budgets but research, institutions, expertise, and training the next generation.
May 31, 2025 at 4:19 PM
something that stands out about this is just how cheap it is for us to have world-leading scientific capacity
we spent ~6.75 trillion last year, and the combined budgets for NIH, NSF and NASA are barely more than 1% of that
what an incredible waste to lose it all for a drop in the bucket
we spent ~6.75 trillion last year, and the combined budgets for NIH, NSF and NASA are barely more than 1% of that
what an incredible waste to lose it all for a drop in the bucket
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
I don't think anyone outside of universities, pharma and biotech, independent research institutions have any idea of what is happening right now. If you haven't sounded the alarm among your friends, family and colleagues, now is the time to do it.
May 31, 2025 at 11:25 AM
I don't think anyone outside of universities, pharma and biotech, independent research institutions have any idea of what is happening right now. If you haven't sounded the alarm among your friends, family and colleagues, now is the time to do it.
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
🧪 Detailed data viz NYT article, out today, on the extent of funding cuts at the National Science Foundation.
This "broken pie chart" is neat & new to me: Powerfully shows the slowdown in new NSF awards across areas.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
This "broken pie chart" is neat & new to me: Powerfully shows the slowdown in new NSF awards across areas.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
May 22, 2025 at 3:59 PM
🧪 Detailed data viz NYT article, out today, on the extent of funding cuts at the National Science Foundation.
This "broken pie chart" is neat & new to me: Powerfully shows the slowdown in new NSF awards across areas.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
This "broken pie chart" is neat & new to me: Powerfully shows the slowdown in new NSF awards across areas.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.
Most Americans use federal science information on a weekly basis, a new poll finds
Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.
www.npr.org
May 6, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
BREAKING: NSF has frozen all grant funding, as of yesterday. It's unclear when they will resume funding awards, or why the pause has been put in place. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.
www.nature.com
May 1, 2025 at 10:58 PM
BREAKING: NSF has frozen all grant funding, as of yesterday. It's unclear when they will resume funding awards, or why the pause has been put in place. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
So proud of these students! AmeliaC, MercyM, Emily G, Arshaam, GabbieW, and Hannah B. They gave great poster presentations yesterday at #DiscoverUSC2025 Special thanks to @uscresearch.bsky.social OUR and Honors college and our own USCSomC for their support!
April 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
So proud of these students! AmeliaC, MercyM, Emily G, Arshaam, GabbieW, and Hannah B. They gave great poster presentations yesterday at #DiscoverUSC2025 Special thanks to @uscresearch.bsky.social OUR and Honors college and our own USCSomC for their support!
Great advocacy tool in the works! While some searches (e.g., postpartum depression) might still pull up an error, this is just what we needed to start conversations with people about the value of NIH-funded science.
Ever wonder how many lives have been saved by NIH-funded research - including your own? Enter any medical condition and instantly see how your tax dollars transformed science into survival.
www.ourhealthroi.com
www.ourhealthroi.com
Our Health ROI
Explore how your tax dollars fund life‑saving medical research.
www.ourhealthroi.com
April 23, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Great advocacy tool in the works! While some searches (e.g., postpartum depression) might still pull up an error, this is just what we needed to start conversations with people about the value of NIH-funded science.
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
A pie graph worth keeping in mind as the NIH budget plummets jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... for 356 new FDA drugs approved
March 23, 2025 at 4:17 PM
A pie graph worth keeping in mind as the NIH budget plummets jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... for 356 new FDA drugs approved
This is absolutely horrifying.
March 20, 2025 at 2:43 AM
This is absolutely horrifying.
We #StandUpForScience in South Carolina! #ScienceIsForEveryone. #ScienceNotSilence #ScienceMakesAmericaGreat
March 8, 2025 at 1:28 AM
We #StandUpForScience in South Carolina! #ScienceIsForEveryone. #ScienceNotSilence #ScienceMakesAmericaGreat
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
Good morning, US colleagues!
In Switzerland, we'll speak up for you and #science everywhere!
#Standupforscience walkout in #Geneva
So many came even with little notice ☺️
We'll stay with you, and we'll only grow
🙏🏼 to the great leadership of #unige
#ScienceSky #MedSky #EpiSky
In Switzerland, we'll speak up for you and #science everywhere!
#Standupforscience walkout in #Geneva
So many came even with little notice ☺️
We'll stay with you, and we'll only grow
🙏🏼 to the great leadership of #unige
#ScienceSky #MedSky #EpiSky
March 7, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Good morning, US colleagues!
In Switzerland, we'll speak up for you and #science everywhere!
#Standupforscience walkout in #Geneva
So many came even with little notice ☺️
We'll stay with you, and we'll only grow
🙏🏼 to the great leadership of #unige
#ScienceSky #MedSky #EpiSky
In Switzerland, we'll speak up for you and #science everywhere!
#Standupforscience walkout in #Geneva
So many came even with little notice ☺️
We'll stay with you, and we'll only grow
🙏🏼 to the great leadership of #unige
#ScienceSky #MedSky #EpiSky
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
“If you've ever used a GPS system, you have the Defense Department's research to thank. What about your smartphone? Although the government didn't directly fund the exact phone you own, NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF)…”
stacker.com/stories/busi...
stacker.com/stories/busi...
50 inventions you might not know were funded by the US government
Stacker compiled information on 50 inventions funded by the United States government using government and scientific reports, and news articles.
stacker.com
March 6, 2025 at 4:59 PM
“If you've ever used a GPS system, you have the Defense Department's research to thank. What about your smartphone? Although the government didn't directly fund the exact phone you own, NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF)…”
stacker.com/stories/busi...
stacker.com/stories/busi...
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
How the #MenstrualCycle shapes #heart and #brain health -
@jellinap.bsky.social together with Julia Sacher @cogneuroend.bsky.social & Arno Villringer describe how these naturally occurring variations might influence #stress, mood, and long-term #womenshealth: tinyurl.com/35pu6447
@jellinap.bsky.social together with Julia Sacher @cogneuroend.bsky.social & Arno Villringer describe how these naturally occurring variations might influence #stress, mood, and long-term #womenshealth: tinyurl.com/35pu6447
How the menstrual cycle shapes heart and brain health
How the menstrual cycle shapes heart and brain health
tinyurl.com
March 6, 2025 at 9:50 AM
How the #MenstrualCycle shapes #heart and #brain health -
@jellinap.bsky.social together with Julia Sacher @cogneuroend.bsky.social & Arno Villringer describe how these naturally occurring variations might influence #stress, mood, and long-term #womenshealth: tinyurl.com/35pu6447
@jellinap.bsky.social together with Julia Sacher @cogneuroend.bsky.social & Arno Villringer describe how these naturally occurring variations might influence #stress, mood, and long-term #womenshealth: tinyurl.com/35pu6447
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
The National Science Foundation benefits communities in every state.
March 2, 2025 at 11:02 PM
The National Science Foundation benefits communities in every state.
eRA commons still down as of this morning.
Once again, eRA Commons is inaccessible as an important grant submission deadline approaches, March 5th. No doubt it will come back online at some point but these intermittent interruptions cause university grant offices to get backed up.
March 2, 2025 at 3:07 PM
eRA commons still down as of this morning.
Reposted by Fiona Hollis
Studying plant diversity helps secure more resilient food systems. Scientists have been doing groundbreaking research, “and then you get flagged and blacklisted because there is a word like ‘female’ in your project”
www.propublica.org/article/ted-...
www.propublica.org/article/ted-...
A Study of Mint Plants. A Device to Stop Bleeding. This Is the Scientific Research Ted Cruz Calls “Woke.”
The senator flagged thousands of National Science Foundation grants for using words like “female” and “diversify.” A ProPublica analysis found numerous examples of projects caught up in his crude meth...
www.propublica.org
February 28, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Studying plant diversity helps secure more resilient food systems. Scientists have been doing groundbreaking research, “and then you get flagged and blacklisted because there is a word like ‘female’ in your project”
www.propublica.org/article/ted-...
www.propublica.org/article/ted-...
“Congress must end the politicization of NSF funding and restore integrity to scientific research." - Ted Cruz as he releases his new NSF "hit list" of "questionable" research projects. Why am I not surprised that he's behind the list of "flag" terms, including 'female' 😮💨🤦
February 28, 2025 at 4:37 AM
“Congress must end the politicization of NSF funding and restore integrity to scientific research." - Ted Cruz as he releases his new NSF "hit list" of "questionable" research projects. Why am I not surprised that he's behind the list of "flag" terms, including 'female' 😮💨🤦