Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
@heathereshegoes.bsky.social
Disease ecologist 🦠 | Tickborne pathogens | Zoonoses 😷 | #OneHealth | Pittie parent 🐾 | Plant mama 🌿 | Small human wrangler 👧🏻🧒🏼 | Horror movie aficionado 🧟| Anti-fascist and Pro-resistance 🍉
I'm attending National Wildlife Federation's event, “Virtual Rally to Save the Cornerstone of Conservation Science” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/nwf/event/79...
Virtual Rally to Save the Cornerstone of Conservation Science · National Wildlife Federation
We need YOU as we rally in support of critical federal government services at risk of being lost forever. The U.S. Geological Survey Ecosystems Mission Area is responsible for many of the programs tha...
www.mobilize.us
May 20, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I'm attending National Wildlife Federation's event, “Virtual Rally to Save the Cornerstone of Conservation Science” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/nwf/event/79...
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
Peter Marks from the FDA resigns
"it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary [RFK Jr regarding vaccines], but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."
#medsky 🛟😷🧪
"it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary [RFK Jr regarding vaccines], but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."
#medsky 🛟😷🧪
March 29, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Peter Marks from the FDA resigns
"it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary [RFK Jr regarding vaccines], but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."
#medsky 🛟😷🧪
"it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary [RFK Jr regarding vaccines], but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies."
#medsky 🛟😷🧪
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
I’m very glad that @joshuajfriedman.com got the full quote here, because it was pretty wild. Boasberg was not happy.
March 17, 2025 at 9:56 PM
I’m very glad that @joshuajfriedman.com got the full quote here, because it was pretty wild. Boasberg was not happy.
I am sickened by this overreach.
NEW letter to Columbia from Trump admin lists demands for “continued financial relationship” with the US government”:
—Suspend or expel students for Hamilton Hall protest
—“Time, place, and manner rules”
—Mask ban
—Address “anti-Zionist” discrimination
—Reform admissions
—MORE
—Suspend or expel students for Hamilton Hall protest
—“Time, place, and manner rules”
—Mask ban
—Address “anti-Zionist” discrimination
—Reform admissions
—MORE
March 14, 2025 at 12:34 PM
I am sickened by this overreach.
This thread on federal firings 🔥🔥🔥
Alsupp issuing a PI from the bench. Finding that OPM engaged in sham terminations, claiming they were performance based in an attempt to avoid the procedural requirements of the Reduction in Force Act.
Oh holy shit, quote in next post
Oh holy shit, quote in next post
March 13, 2025 at 4:19 PM
This thread on federal firings 🔥🔥🔥
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
#ElbowsUp
Feel free to use this regardless of where in world you are. Currently, we are all Canadian, not only protecting Canada from US bullying, but also trying to save the dream of the US - encouraging US to save itself from itself
@altspaceforce.altgov.info @iampoliticsgirl.bsky.social
Feel free to use this regardless of where in world you are. Currently, we are all Canadian, not only protecting Canada from US bullying, but also trying to save the dream of the US - encouraging US to save itself from itself
@altspaceforce.altgov.info @iampoliticsgirl.bsky.social
Did you know Politics Girl is Canadian? Canada and US are enmeshed.
#ElbowsUp is our joint battle- Canada and US together, as well as the world entire, trying to save the US from itself
x.com/iampoliticsg...
#ElbowsUp is our joint battle- Canada and US together, as well as the world entire, trying to save the US from itself
x.com/iampoliticsg...
PoliticsGirl on X: "I say this as a Canadian citizen AND an American patriot…. https://t.co/PSYaWPSsWF" / X
I say this as a Canadian citizen AND an American patriot…. https://t.co/PSYaWPSsWF
x.com
March 13, 2025 at 1:40 AM
#ElbowsUp
Feel free to use this regardless of where in world you are. Currently, we are all Canadian, not only protecting Canada from US bullying, but also trying to save the dream of the US - encouraging US to save itself from itself
@altspaceforce.altgov.info @iampoliticsgirl.bsky.social
Feel free to use this regardless of where in world you are. Currently, we are all Canadian, not only protecting Canada from US bullying, but also trying to save the dream of the US - encouraging US to save itself from itself
@altspaceforce.altgov.info @iampoliticsgirl.bsky.social
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
Here's the source link. As usual, RFK Jr is lying. And I suspect his intent to repopulate the ACIP with anti-vaxxers is the reason why.
www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2025-03-11/r...
www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2025-03-11/r...
RFK says most vaccine advisers have conflicts of interest. A report shows they don't
The Health Secretary's assertion inaccurately characterizes the 2009 government report he cites, according to an NPR review and interviews with former committee members.
www.wyomingpublicmedia.org
March 12, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Here's the source link. As usual, RFK Jr is lying. And I suspect his intent to repopulate the ACIP with anti-vaxxers is the reason why.
www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2025-03-11/r...
www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2025-03-11/r...
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
In case RFK Jr convinced you that he is not anti-vax, but merely "skeptical" & concerned about vaccine safety...look here
NIH is terminating awards to obtain reliable data on vaccine hesitancy & ways to improve uptake. This is an explicitly anti-vax policy.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
NIH is terminating awards to obtain reliable data on vaccine hesitancy & ways to improve uptake. This is an explicitly anti-vax policy.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
NIH to terminate or limit grants related to vaccine hesitancy and uptake
The order covers more than 40 awards to researchers around the country seeking to understand why vaccine acceptance has declined.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 10, 2025 at 10:50 PM
In case RFK Jr convinced you that he is not anti-vax, but merely "skeptical" & concerned about vaccine safety...look here
NIH is terminating awards to obtain reliable data on vaccine hesitancy & ways to improve uptake. This is an explicitly anti-vax policy.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
NIH is terminating awards to obtain reliable data on vaccine hesitancy & ways to improve uptake. This is an explicitly anti-vax policy.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
Moron Mondays: Bobby Jr Opens His Mouth
The Princeling has once again doned his Fisher-Price stethoscope and gifted us with some stools of wisdom. Since we are repeating ourselves we will keep this short.
The Princeling has once again doned his Fisher-Price stethoscope and gifted us with some stools of wisdom. Since we are repeating ourselves we will keep this short.
Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health, Citing Fringe Theories
In a recent interview, the health secretary also suggested that the measles vaccine had harmed children in West Texas, center of an outbreak.
www.nytimes.com
March 11, 2025 at 4:17 AM
Moron Mondays: Bobby Jr Opens His Mouth
The Princeling has once again doned his Fisher-Price stethoscope and gifted us with some stools of wisdom. Since we are repeating ourselves we will keep this short.
The Princeling has once again doned his Fisher-Price stethoscope and gifted us with some stools of wisdom. Since we are repeating ourselves we will keep this short.
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
This. Universities, this is not going away. The Trump administration is going to continue to attack academia and higher education. You have to fight. For your lives.
Presidents of #Harvard, #Yale, #Princeton, #Stanford, #MIT, #Penn, #NotreDame, #Columbia, #Northwestern, #JohnsHopkins should stop hiding under the bed & collectively stand up w/ other university leaders to fight back against #Trump, #Musk. You already have targets on your backs. Fight. Damn it.
March 10, 2025 at 12:33 AM
This. Universities, this is not going away. The Trump administration is going to continue to attack academia and higher education. You have to fight. For your lives.
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
RFK Jr is not a trustworthy source about vaccine efficacy or zoonosis, particularly for H5N1 in chickens.
His claim that poultry vaccination will "turn those birds into mutant factories" is incorrect & I've got receipts 👇
Article by @alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
His claim that poultry vaccination will "turn those birds into mutant factories" is incorrect & I've got receipts 👇
Article by @alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
RFK Jr. warns vaccinating poultry for bird flu could backfire
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned vaccines could turn "birds into mutant factories."
www.cbsnews.com
March 7, 2025 at 11:50 PM
RFK Jr is not a trustworthy source about vaccine efficacy or zoonosis, particularly for H5N1 in chickens.
His claim that poultry vaccination will "turn those birds into mutant factories" is incorrect & I've got receipts 👇
Article by @alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
His claim that poultry vaccination will "turn those birds into mutant factories" is incorrect & I've got receipts 👇
Article by @alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
😑😑😑
NIH just posted this news announcement.
"Today the National Institutes of Health is announcing plans to centralize peer review of all applications for grants, cooperative agreements and research and development contracts within the agency’s Center for Scientific Review (CSR)"
"Today the National Institutes of Health is announcing plans to centralize peer review of all applications for grants, cooperative agreements and research and development contracts within the agency’s Center for Scientific Review (CSR)"
NIH centralizes peer review to improve efficiency and strengthen integrity
The proposed approach is expected to save more than $65 million annually.
www.nih.gov
March 7, 2025 at 5:45 AM
😑😑😑
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
I feel this 🧵 and comments so much!
I feel this 🧵 and comments so much!
Civil servant source says DOGE has made agencies much less efficient: "Work has ground down to a stunning degree and management is spending a significant amount of time responding & preparing to respond to the chaos incited by the never ending barrage of EOs & accompanying memos"
Many make no sense🧵
Many make no sense🧵
March 7, 2025 at 2:09 AM
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
I feel this 🧵 and comments so much!
I feel this 🧵 and comments so much!
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
I wrote this ahead of the March for Science in 2017 & the same is true today: When politicians are left alone to attack science with impunity, it serves only the most elite, & real people get hurt, particularly our most vulnerable and marginalized communities. @standupforscience.bsky.social
March 6, 2025 at 8:20 PM
I wrote this ahead of the March for Science in 2017 & the same is true today: When politicians are left alone to attack science with impunity, it serves only the most elite, & real people get hurt, particularly our most vulnerable and marginalized communities. @standupforscience.bsky.social
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
He did it very efficiently though.
March 7, 2025 at 2:37 AM
He did it very efficiently though.
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
#Gaza: On March 2, a Palestinian man was shot next to the entrance of the Doctors Without Borders-supported Al-Shaboura clinic, in #Rafah.
This was then followed by a round of bullets shot near the facility, leading our team to take shelter inside the clinic. A bullet hit the building.
This was then followed by a round of bullets shot near the facility, leading our team to take shelter inside the clinic. A bullet hit the building.
March 6, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
Thousands of Agriculture Department employees who were fired last month must be reinstated in their old positions for at least 45 days, a board that handles federal worker disputes ordered on Wednesday.
Trump Administration Told to Reinstate Nearly 6,000 USDA Workers
The fired employees were on probationary status, swept up in the administration’s push to rapidly reduce the size of the federal work force in part by targeting those types of workers.
www.nytimes.com
March 6, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Thousands of Agriculture Department employees who were fired last month must be reinstated in their old positions for at least 45 days, a board that handles federal worker disputes ordered on Wednesday.
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
The competitive authoritarian playbook - make vague, illiberal proclamations and try to intimidate people with the possibility of selective prosecution or other forms of punishment
March 4, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The competitive authoritarian playbook - make vague, illiberal proclamations and try to intimidate people with the possibility of selective prosecution or other forms of punishment
We could’ve had a pittie mix as First Dog 😩😩😩. I hate this timeline.
March 2, 2025 at 9:49 PM
We could’ve had a pittie mix as First Dog 😩😩😩. I hate this timeline.
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
An NPR review of new data added to DOGE's "wall of receipts" finds the group quietly changed previous errors, added new ones and still has little verified savings to show for its work.
DOGE's savings page fixed old mistakes — and added new ones
An NPR review of new data added to DOGE's "wall of receipts" finds the group quietly changed previous errors, added new ones and still has little verified savings to show for its work.
www.npr.org
March 2, 2025 at 9:10 PM
An NPR review of new data added to DOGE's "wall of receipts" finds the group quietly changed previous errors, added new ones and still has little verified savings to show for its work.
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
Hundreds of workers at the CDC. More than 1,000 at the NIH. Scores of staffers at the FDA.
Trump’s purge of federal employees includes those doing lifesaving work. Many of them expressed fear at what would happen to the projects they left behind.
By @anniewaldman.bsky.social & @deldeib.bsky.social
Trump’s purge of federal employees includes those doing lifesaving work. Many of them expressed fear at what would happen to the projects they left behind.
By @anniewaldman.bsky.social & @deldeib.bsky.social
They Worked to Prevent Death. The Trump Administration Fired Them.
Public health teams are being gutted, imperiling efforts to safeguard organ donation and prevent maternal and infant death. Many workers expressed fear at what would happen to the work they left…
propub.li
March 1, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Hundreds of workers at the CDC. More than 1,000 at the NIH. Scores of staffers at the FDA.
Trump’s purge of federal employees includes those doing lifesaving work. Many of them expressed fear at what would happen to the projects they left behind.
By @anniewaldman.bsky.social & @deldeib.bsky.social
Trump’s purge of federal employees includes those doing lifesaving work. Many of them expressed fear at what would happen to the projects they left behind.
By @anniewaldman.bsky.social & @deldeib.bsky.social
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
First, they said postponed; now the meeting is canceled. That means no flu shots next year.
“'It’s a six-month production cycle,' Dr. Offit said. 'So one can only assume that we’re not picking flu strains this year.'"
Fundamentally, that's a form of mass murder.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/u...
“'It’s a six-month production cycle,' Dr. Offit said. 'So one can only assume that we’re not picking flu strains this year.'"
Fundamentally, that's a form of mass murder.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/u...
F.D.A. Cancels Meeting of Vaccine Experts Scheduled to Advise on Flu Shots
The cancellation plays into fears among scientists who worry that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will use his position as health secretary to sow doubts about vaccines.
www.nytimes.com
February 27, 2025 at 8:14 PM
First, they said postponed; now the meeting is canceled. That means no flu shots next year.
“'It’s a six-month production cycle,' Dr. Offit said. 'So one can only assume that we’re not picking flu strains this year.'"
Fundamentally, that's a form of mass murder.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/u...
“'It’s a six-month production cycle,' Dr. Offit said. 'So one can only assume that we’re not picking flu strains this year.'"
Fundamentally, that's a form of mass murder.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/u...
Reposted by Heather Kopsco, Ph.D. (she/her)
This is not an effort to roll back "DEI"
It's an effort to roll back civil rights
"Agencies across the federal government are dismantling offices that enforce civil rights and antidiscrimination laws...weakening the government’s ability to deliver on legal obligations to protect workers’ rights"
It's an effort to roll back civil rights
"Agencies across the federal government are dismantling offices that enforce civil rights and antidiscrimination laws...weakening the government’s ability to deliver on legal obligations to protect workers’ rights"
Trump officials start dismantling civil rights offices, as part of DOGE’s secret plan
Legal experts said that unwinding a civil rights-era bulwark designed to safeguard employees’ rights removes a crucial check on institutional power.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 1, 2025 at 3:12 PM
This is not an effort to roll back "DEI"
It's an effort to roll back civil rights
"Agencies across the federal government are dismantling offices that enforce civil rights and antidiscrimination laws...weakening the government’s ability to deliver on legal obligations to protect workers’ rights"
It's an effort to roll back civil rights
"Agencies across the federal government are dismantling offices that enforce civil rights and antidiscrimination laws...weakening the government’s ability to deliver on legal obligations to protect workers’ rights"
Excellent read on what’s still needed for H5N1 to become transmissible between humans.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/18950...
threadreaderapp.com/thread/18950...
Thread by @angie_rasmussen on Thread Reader App
@angie_rasmussen: Okay, so. I don’t know how much of a heads up this is when it’s just a notice about these 2 mutations. Do they really raise serious concerns about “increased transmission?” Sort of. ...
threadreaderapp.com
February 27, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Excellent read on what’s still needed for H5N1 to become transmissible between humans.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/18950...
threadreaderapp.com/thread/18950...