R.L. Clark
@isabella-moicah.bsky.social
Demographer, bureaucrat, lots of degrees from Brown University. Opinions and interests are my own.
Just overheard: “We air tagged the cat because they lost him at the B & B.”
November 19, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Just overheard: “We air tagged the cat because they lost him at the B & B.”
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Up to 323 cancelled CSR study sections. That's more than the 204 sections cancelled earlier this year. Rescheduling is going to be a hot mess with NIH staff reductions and study section members heading into finals and holidays that limit availability. 🧪
Been a rough year for federally funded scientists, and I hate to add another tab to this spreadsheet. So far, the shutdown has resulted in cancellation of 161 CSR study sections. 🧪https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lLEx14q7HKrlYahQYJaN6aHKpMqSMJwX4aenyL5g_ZU/edit?usp=sharing
2025 Study section tracking
docs.google.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Up to 323 cancelled CSR study sections. That's more than the 204 sections cancelled earlier this year. Rescheduling is going to be a hot mess with NIH staff reductions and study section members heading into finals and holidays that limit availability. 🧪
Reposted by R.L. Clark
RIP Todd Snider. He wrote the greatest song about #statistics you'll ever hear: Statistician's Blues.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPlD...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPlD...
Statistician's Blues (Live)
YouTube video by Todd Snider - Topic
www.youtube.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM
RIP Todd Snider. He wrote the greatest song about #statistics you'll ever hear: Statistician's Blues.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPlD...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPlD...
Reposted by R.L. Clark
NIH grant applicants:
October and November grant application submission *deadlines* will be rescheduled (🤯). Specific dates TBD.
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
October and November grant application submission *deadlines* will be rescheduled (🤯). Specific dates TBD.
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
NOT-OD-26-005: Interim Guidance on Reopening of NIH Extramural Activities
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Interim Guidance on Reopening of NIH Extramural Activities NOT-OD-26-005. NIH
grants.nih.gov
November 14, 2025 at 8:45 PM
NIH grant applicants:
October and November grant application submission *deadlines* will be rescheduled (🤯). Specific dates TBD.
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
October and November grant application submission *deadlines* will be rescheduled (🤯). Specific dates TBD.
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Just got an email from my SRO for the study section that was missed in October. Good news is that they are trying to reschedule ASAP (Dec/Jan). The bad news is that CSR is mandating that only the the top third (not half) of applications will get discussed for the next 2 rounds.
November 13, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Just got an email from my SRO for the study section that was missed in October. Good news is that they are trying to reschedule ASAP (Dec/Jan). The bad news is that CSR is mandating that only the the top third (not half) of applications will get discussed for the next 2 rounds.
Outstanding article!
New insights on maternal mortality from historical demographer and former ICPSR Director George Alter.
With a new measure to understand causes of maternal mortality, historical demographer George Alter finds infectious disease & nutrition improvements likely impacted falling maternal mortality more than shifting obstetrical practices. Just out in Population Studies: psc.isr.umich.edu/news/new-ins...
November 13, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Outstanding article!
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Absolutely this! 👇
Raise a glass for Rosalind Franklin tonight and honor her memory and scientific contributions
NYT obituary of Jim Watson.
A long and fairly balanced view of a complicated man who participated in one of the greatest discoveries in biology.
[Gift Link]
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
A long and fairly balanced view of a complicated man who participated in one of the greatest discoveries in biology.
[Gift Link]
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
November 7, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Absolutely this! 👇
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Curious about using census microdata in your research? 📊
Join us for a webinar on IPUMS International, the world’s leading repository of harmonized census data.
🗓️ 12 Nov 2025 | 🕒 15:15–16:30 UK | 💻 Zoom
Register: forms.gle/oqTDNU4Zpn2s...
Hosted by the LSE Historical Economic Demography Group.
Join us for a webinar on IPUMS International, the world’s leading repository of harmonized census data.
🗓️ 12 Nov 2025 | 🕒 15:15–16:30 UK | 💻 Zoom
Register: forms.gle/oqTDNU4Zpn2s...
Hosted by the LSE Historical Economic Demography Group.
Register for IPUMs International Online Session
Please use this form to register for the IPUMs International Session hosted by the Historical Economic Demography Group at LSE.
The session will be on Zoom from 15:15-16:30 UK Time on 12 November 202...
forms.gle
November 5, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Curious about using census microdata in your research? 📊
Join us for a webinar on IPUMS International, the world’s leading repository of harmonized census data.
🗓️ 12 Nov 2025 | 🕒 15:15–16:30 UK | 💻 Zoom
Register: forms.gle/oqTDNU4Zpn2s...
Hosted by the LSE Historical Economic Demography Group.
Join us for a webinar on IPUMS International, the world’s leading repository of harmonized census data.
🗓️ 12 Nov 2025 | 🕒 15:15–16:30 UK | 💻 Zoom
Register: forms.gle/oqTDNU4Zpn2s...
Hosted by the LSE Historical Economic Demography Group.
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Undergraduate Program in
Population Research
Summer 2026 Session at University of Minnesota
June 7—19, 2026
Population Research
Summer 2026 Session at University of Minnesota
June 7—19, 2026
NextGenPop
Next Generation of Scholars in Population Research
nextgenpop.org
November 5, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Undergraduate Program in
Population Research
Summer 2026 Session at University of Minnesota
June 7—19, 2026
Population Research
Summer 2026 Session at University of Minnesota
June 7—19, 2026
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Don’t miss out on #SelfPromotionMonth! Help others discover your research by contributing to the ICPSR Bibliography: myumi.ch/qZMqx. Citations help others find and review work already done and explore new avenues of research as well.
October 30, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Don’t miss out on #SelfPromotionMonth! Help others discover your research by contributing to the ICPSR Bibliography: myumi.ch/qZMqx. Citations help others find and review work already done and explore new avenues of research as well.
Reposted by R.L. Clark
A new study by LDI Fellow Irma Elo shows a deep geographic divide in Black life expectancy before COVID-19:
⬆️ Gains in cities & the Northeast
⬇️ Losses in the Midwest & rural areas
Read the full Q&A here: https://bit.ly/4ocoeWl
⬆️ Gains in cities & the Northeast
⬇️ Losses in the Midwest & rural areas
Read the full Q&A here: https://bit.ly/4ocoeWl
Black Life Expectancy Shows Sharp Geographic Divide
From 1990 to 2019, Black life expectancy rose in most major metros and the Northeast, but gains stalled or reversed in rural areas and the Midwest.
ldi.upenn.edu
October 9, 2025 at 6:52 PM
A new study by LDI Fellow Irma Elo shows a deep geographic divide in Black life expectancy before COVID-19:
⬆️ Gains in cities & the Northeast
⬇️ Losses in the Midwest & rural areas
Read the full Q&A here: https://bit.ly/4ocoeWl
⬆️ Gains in cities & the Northeast
⬇️ Losses in the Midwest & rural areas
Read the full Q&A here: https://bit.ly/4ocoeWl
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Staff members at the NIH seem to have done the impossible: spend the agency's $48 billion budget.
“Everyone has been rallying together to clean up the mess, but it’s a mess that did not need to be made,” an NIH program officer told me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
“Everyone has been rallying together to clean up the mess, but it’s a mess that did not need to be made,” an NIH program officer told me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
NIH races to spend its 2025 grant money — but fewer projects win funding
Despite political obstacles, officials are on track to disburse all of the research funds allocated to US biomedical behemoth.
www.nature.com
September 30, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Staff members at the NIH seem to have done the impossible: spend the agency's $48 billion budget.
“Everyone has been rallying together to clean up the mess, but it’s a mess that did not need to be made,” an NIH program officer told me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
“Everyone has been rallying together to clean up the mess, but it’s a mess that did not need to be made,” an NIH program officer told me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Apple honey challah.
September 24, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Apple honey challah.
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Prepping for an NIH grant? Join ICPSR’s virtual workshop to master the NIH Data Management & Sharing (DMS) Policy! Learn to draft a DMS Plan, de-identify data, and tap into ICPSR support for your research.
#NIH #datasharing #research
#NIH #datasharing #research
September 23, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Prepping for an NIH grant? Join ICPSR’s virtual workshop to master the NIH Data Management & Sharing (DMS) Policy! Learn to draft a DMS Plan, de-identify data, and tap into ICPSR support for your research.
#NIH #datasharing #research
#NIH #datasharing #research
Reposted by R.L. Clark
this is wild - i was aware of Mary-Claire King's absurdly important discoveries on BRCA / inherited breast cancer but I had no idea that her first PhD paper (King & Wilson 1975, Science, not bad lol) is the "99% of protein coding shared btwn chimps and humans" result
www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...
www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...
September 20, 2025 at 9:17 AM
this is wild - i was aware of Mary-Claire King's absurdly important discoveries on BRCA / inherited breast cancer but I had no idea that her first PhD paper (King & Wilson 1975, Science, not bad lol) is the "99% of protein coding shared btwn chimps and humans" result
www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...
www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Having children is a commitment to the future.
And too many people don’t feel secure enough about their lives now or in the future to make that commitment and have the children they’d like.
And until we address that issue, birth rates are unlikely to increase. My op-ed in @newsweek.com.
And too many people don’t feel secure enough about their lives now or in the future to make that commitment and have the children they’d like.
And until we address that issue, birth rates are unlikely to increase. My op-ed in @newsweek.com.
Low Birth Rates Are Here To Stay | Opinion
Individuals and families need to be supported by a strong social safety net that includes paid leave and a robust child care infrastructure. There are no quick fixes.
www.newsweek.com
September 17, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Having children is a commitment to the future.
And too many people don’t feel secure enough about their lives now or in the future to make that commitment and have the children they’d like.
And until we address that issue, birth rates are unlikely to increase. My op-ed in @newsweek.com.
And too many people don’t feel secure enough about their lives now or in the future to make that commitment and have the children they’d like.
And until we address that issue, birth rates are unlikely to increase. My op-ed in @newsweek.com.
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Reposted by R.L. Clark
When the USSR was collapsing, they stopped publishing life tables because life expectancy was rapidly declining between 1974 and 1986. That’s one of the indicators the CIA used to gauge the level of internal rot in the USSR. Makes me wonder whether the US will continue publishing its life tables.
September 1, 2025 at 4:05 PM
When the USSR was collapsing, they stopped publishing life tables because life expectancy was rapidly declining between 1974 and 1986. That’s one of the indicators the CIA used to gauge the level of internal rot in the USSR. Makes me wonder whether the US will continue publishing its life tables.
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Food insecurity is a technical term. It's not malnutrition or hunger or whatever non "hothouse" term is the one we're supposed to use? There's a standard survey battery to distinguish whether households meet the technical standard for being 'food insecure'. odphp.health.gov/healthypeopl...
August 24, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Food insecurity is a technical term. It's not malnutrition or hunger or whatever non "hothouse" term is the one we're supposed to use? There's a standard survey battery to distinguish whether households meet the technical standard for being 'food insecure'. odphp.health.gov/healthypeopl...
Reposted by R.L. Clark
18th NIH Matilda White Riley Distinguished Lecture: The Life Course, Aging, and Health Disparities: Preliminary Insights from Wave VI of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health
Date: 8/28/25 at 3PM ET
Presenter: Robert Hummer, Ph.D.
obssr.od.nih.gov/news-and-eve...
Date: 8/28/25 at 3PM ET
Presenter: Robert Hummer, Ph.D.
obssr.od.nih.gov/news-and-eve...
July 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
18th NIH Matilda White Riley Distinguished Lecture: The Life Course, Aging, and Health Disparities: Preliminary Insights from Wave VI of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health
Date: 8/28/25 at 3PM ET
Presenter: Robert Hummer, Ph.D.
obssr.od.nih.gov/news-and-eve...
Date: 8/28/25 at 3PM ET
Presenter: Robert Hummer, Ph.D.
obssr.od.nih.gov/news-and-eve...
Reposted by R.L. Clark
The Demographic and Health Surveys Program has been saved! At least in part. According to the announcement, “Several donors and host countries are funding the completion of selected surveys.”
Great news for global health in spite of US government’s war on data.
www.dhsprogram.com/Who-we-are/N...
Great news for global health in spite of US government’s war on data.
www.dhsprogram.com/Who-we-are/N...
August 13, 2025 at 7:46 PM
The Demographic and Health Surveys Program has been saved! At least in part. According to the announcement, “Several donors and host countries are funding the completion of selected surveys.”
Great news for global health in spite of US government’s war on data.
www.dhsprogram.com/Who-we-are/N...
Great news for global health in spite of US government’s war on data.
www.dhsprogram.com/Who-we-are/N...
Reposted by R.L. Clark
Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
August 2, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
Reposted by R.L. Clark
It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.
August 2, 2025 at 2:18 AM
It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.
Reposted by R.L. Clark
We're hiring! Please share with your networks!
The Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor in the field of demography of health and aging beginning in August 2026
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...
The Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor in the field of demography of health and aging beginning in August 2026
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...
Assistant Professor - Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:FacultyEmployment Type:Regula...
jobs.wisc.edu
July 29, 2025 at 4:41 PM
We're hiring! Please share with your networks!
The Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor in the field of demography of health and aging beginning in August 2026
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...
The Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor in the field of demography of health and aging beginning in August 2026
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...