Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
@khajdarovic.bsky.social
Neuroscientist studying the neural circuits of glucose homeostasis.
Cats, embroidery, labor unions
Views my own.
https://khajdarovic.github.io/
She/hers/her
Cats, embroidery, labor unions
Views my own.
https://khajdarovic.github.io/
She/hers/her
What type of accommodation is this person imagining that would actually advantage someone without a disability?
Balancing "no person with a disability should be denied accommodations" with "it's important to discourage non-disabled people from pretending to be disabled to take advantage of these accommodations" is really difficult and I don't have a great answer for what anyone should do about it.
December 3, 2025 at 5:17 PM
What type of accommodation is this person imagining that would actually advantage someone without a disability?
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
You can easily see why Donald Trump & Russell Vought wanted to hire the MAGA hero Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH & push forward the extreme, right-wing, toxic, Project 2025 agenda. Bhattacharya wrote this in OCT 2023—he was already pushing kooky conspiracy theories & salivating about NIH funding cuts😢
December 3, 2025 at 1:06 AM
You can easily see why Donald Trump & Russell Vought wanted to hire the MAGA hero Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH & push forward the extreme, right-wing, toxic, Project 2025 agenda. Bhattacharya wrote this in OCT 2023—he was already pushing kooky conspiracy theories & salivating about NIH funding cuts😢
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
New: HHS employees were asked Monday evening to fill out a survey (it's voluntary/not required) about any religious discrimination they have witnessed or experienced, in an attempt to comply with Trump's "Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias" executive order from early this year. So that's cool.
December 2, 2025 at 4:38 PM
New: HHS employees were asked Monday evening to fill out a survey (it's voluntary/not required) about any religious discrimination they have witnessed or experienced, in an attempt to comply with Trump's "Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias" executive order from early this year. So that's cool.
Contemporary usage of the word “decimate” to mean “reduce by a lot” masks the original meaning, a punishment in which 1 in 10 soldiers in a group were killed. 1 in 5 grants that would’ve have been funded a year ago were not funded this year, a double decimated, as punishment for the covid pandemic
22% fewer NIH grants
December 2, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Contemporary usage of the word “decimate” to mean “reduce by a lot” masks the original meaning, a punishment in which 1 in 10 soldiers in a group were killed. 1 in 5 grants that would’ve have been funded a year ago were not funded this year, a double decimated, as punishment for the covid pandemic
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
People catastrophizing about a precedent where no one can mark anything down anymore for being wrong when the real precedent is trans people not being able to do literally any job without an army of bigots launching a harassment campaign against their employer.
a lot of people debating the merits of that dogshit essay meanwhile the girl’s mom is retweeting demands to ban all trans people from teaching at any level. it’s forest for the trees shit
December 1, 2025 at 1:39 PM
People catastrophizing about a precedent where no one can mark anything down anymore for being wrong when the real precedent is trans people not being able to do literally any job without an army of bigots launching a harassment campaign against their employer.
A transgender graduate worker is ousted from her job because of right wing attacks on educators. Her school’s administration immediately folded to pressure to put her on leave. Grad worker unionization is an academic freedom issue! Your admin will not save you.
Even worse, from the OU statement, she’s a graduate assistant. Her whole academic career is riding on this job to pay tuition. And since TPUSA named her, I cannot imagine the hate being spewed her way.
December 1, 2025 at 2:54 PM
A transgender graduate worker is ousted from her job because of right wing attacks on educators. Her school’s administration immediately folded to pressure to put her on leave. Grad worker unionization is an academic freedom issue! Your admin will not save you.
Does every postdoc just feel like you’re being blasted with a fire hose of science or is that just me
December 1, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Does every postdoc just feel like you’re being blasted with a fire hose of science or is that just me
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
Also, to be clear, when a trans instructor at OU is being punished and targeted for quite fairly grading a terrible essay, it’s bizarre to see academics online debating the rubrics.
That’s…not the problem.
That’s…not the problem.
December 1, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Also, to be clear, when a trans instructor at OU is being punished and targeted for quite fairly grading a terrible essay, it’s bizarre to see academics online debating the rubrics.
That’s…not the problem.
That’s…not the problem.
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
Amazing to learn that Isaac Chotiner can apparently just come for you in your replies. Like suddenly realizing you're swimming in open ocean
November 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Amazing to learn that Isaac Chotiner can apparently just come for you in your replies. Like suddenly realizing you're swimming in open ocean
Organizing gets the goods!
We @uam-umd.bsky.social won. Faculty packed town halls, talked to their colleagues and collected hundreds of petition signatures. Now UMD is coughing up $8.75m, during a deficit, to fund faculty whose research is under attack. Not enough, but a helluva thing for a union the state calls illegal.
$8.75M Investment Supports ‘Research Resilience’… | Maryland Today
UMD, MPower Funds Combine to Help Preserve Institutional Capabilities, Lab Operations and More
today.umd.edu
November 25, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Organizing gets the goods!
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
November 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
🧪This is a must watch. Please watch tonight's episode @60minutes.bsky.social.
Joan Brugge is an eminent scientist that was one of the first pioneers of 3D culture in breast cancer. She had two of her grants canceled last spring.
We used her protocols to develop our own for our research.
Joan Brugge is an eminent scientist that was one of the first pioneers of 3D culture in breast cancer. She had two of her grants canceled last spring.
We used her protocols to develop our own for our research.
November 10, 2025 at 12:52 AM
🧪This is a must watch. Please watch tonight's episode @60minutes.bsky.social.
Joan Brugge is an eminent scientist that was one of the first pioneers of 3D culture in breast cancer. She had two of her grants canceled last spring.
We used her protocols to develop our own for our research.
Joan Brugge is an eminent scientist that was one of the first pioneers of 3D culture in breast cancer. She had two of her grants canceled last spring.
We used her protocols to develop our own for our research.
INSHALLAH
'Suddenly exposed' DOGE employees fear prosecution after Musk abandoned them: report
www.rawstory.com/doge-employe...
www.rawstory.com/doge-employe...
'Suddenly exposed' DOGE employees fear prosecution after Musk abandoned them: report
Current and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers are growing increasingly concerned that the work they did slashing government programs and eliminating jobs will come back to hau...
www.rawstory.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:31 PM
INSHALLAH
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
GIG ANNOUNCEMENT
DEC. 12 @ CHACHO DISTILLERY
Fundraiser for @27unihted.bsky.social and @nihvigils.bsky.social with @ammoniteband.bsky.social and The Laterals!
$10 @ the door
www.27unihted.org/events/27-un...
#punk #punkrock #fundraiser #NIH #resist #chachodistillery #livemusic #chachoDC
DEC. 12 @ CHACHO DISTILLERY
Fundraiser for @27unihted.bsky.social and @nihvigils.bsky.social with @ammoniteband.bsky.social and The Laterals!
$10 @ the door
www.27unihted.org/events/27-un...
#punk #punkrock #fundraiser #NIH #resist #chachodistillery #livemusic #chachoDC
November 22, 2025 at 3:39 PM
GIG ANNOUNCEMENT
DEC. 12 @ CHACHO DISTILLERY
Fundraiser for @27unihted.bsky.social and @nihvigils.bsky.social with @ammoniteband.bsky.social and The Laterals!
$10 @ the door
www.27unihted.org/events/27-un...
#punk #punkrock #fundraiser #NIH #resist #chachodistillery #livemusic #chachoDC
DEC. 12 @ CHACHO DISTILLERY
Fundraiser for @27unihted.bsky.social and @nihvigils.bsky.social with @ammoniteband.bsky.social and The Laterals!
$10 @ the door
www.27unihted.org/events/27-un...
#punk #punkrock #fundraiser #NIH #resist #chachodistillery #livemusic #chachoDC
The way this headline whitewashes RFK jr’s continued attack on proven interventions that prevent disease is mind boggling. It’s not “orthodoxy” that vaccines prevent disease and do not cause autism, it is the scientific position best supported by the data
Breaking News: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he personally instructed the CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism. The move underscores his determination to challenge scientific orthodoxy — in this case, that vaccines save lives — and bend the health department to his will.
RFK Jr. Says He Instructed CDC to Change Vaccines and Autism Language on Website
In an interview, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited gaps in vaccine safety research. His critics say he is ignoring a larger point: Vaccines save lives.
nyti.ms
November 21, 2025 at 7:21 PM
The way this headline whitewashes RFK jr’s continued attack on proven interventions that prevent disease is mind boggling. It’s not “orthodoxy” that vaccines prevent disease and do not cause autism, it is the scientific position best supported by the data
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
The administration is building a legal pathway for ad hoc grant terminations:
"if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities"
Converting multiyear grants to 'at whim' coin flips will undermine the stability & leadership of American science.
"if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities"
Converting multiyear grants to 'at whim' coin flips will undermine the stability & leadership of American science.
Update on a significant development NIH grant terms.
On 10/1, a change to grant making regs went into effect that gives NIH more power to terminate grants for policy reasons.
But to use this power, new grant terms must include specific language. See @aniloza.bsky.social w/ the story from July.
1/
On 10/1, a change to grant making regs went into effect that gives NIH more power to terminate grants for policy reasons.
But to use this power, new grant terms must include specific language. See @aniloza.bsky.social w/ the story from July.
1/
HHS devises legal playbook for future grant terminations, internal memo shows
Exclusive: HHS devises a legal playbook for future research grant terminations, an internal memo shows.
www.statnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:06 PM
The administration is building a legal pathway for ad hoc grant terminations:
"if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities"
Converting multiyear grants to 'at whim' coin flips will undermine the stability & leadership of American science.
"if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities"
Converting multiyear grants to 'at whim' coin flips will undermine the stability & leadership of American science.
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
Hey fam, @27unihted.bsky.social is having a FUNDRAISER!!
Dec 12 7-11 pm, featuring THREE AWESOME BANDS
@allstrike.bsky.social
@ammoniteband.bsky.social
The Laterals
At Chacho Distilling Co
6031 Kansas Ave, DC
$10 at the door
Psst spread the word
Dec 12 7-11 pm, featuring THREE AWESOME BANDS
@allstrike.bsky.social
@ammoniteband.bsky.social
The Laterals
At Chacho Distilling Co
6031 Kansas Ave, DC
$10 at the door
Psst spread the word
November 19, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Hey fam, @27unihted.bsky.social is having a FUNDRAISER!!
Dec 12 7-11 pm, featuring THREE AWESOME BANDS
@allstrike.bsky.social
@ammoniteband.bsky.social
The Laterals
At Chacho Distilling Co
6031 Kansas Ave, DC
$10 at the door
Psst spread the word
Dec 12 7-11 pm, featuring THREE AWESOME BANDS
@allstrike.bsky.social
@ammoniteband.bsky.social
The Laterals
At Chacho Distilling Co
6031 Kansas Ave, DC
$10 at the door
Psst spread the word
I got really good/ helpful reviews on an article and while I understand the importance of blinded review, I wish I could reach out and talk science with the reviewer!
November 18, 2025 at 3:50 PM
I got really good/ helpful reviews on an article and while I understand the importance of blinded review, I wish I could reach out and talk science with the reviewer!
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
November 17, 2025 at 9:50 PM
This kind of disgusting behavior toward vulnerable grad workers on visas is incredibly common, and one of the reasons why strong grad workers unions are necessary
Summers conferred with Epstein frequently about how to extract sexual favors from a Harvard econ grad (AB '04, PhD '09)
The grad is from China
Epstein and Summers referred to her by the codename "Peril"
Racism and sexual exploitation in one efficient package
bit.ly/3LHpin8
The grad is from China
Epstein and Summers referred to her by the codename "Peril"
Racism and sexual exploitation in one efficient package
bit.ly/3LHpin8
As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’ | News | The Harvard Crimson
When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jef...
bit.ly
November 17, 2025 at 8:02 PM
This kind of disgusting behavior toward vulnerable grad workers on visas is incredibly common, and one of the reasons why strong grad workers unions are necessary
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
The absolute misogynistic delusion of claiming women don't succeed in academia because they aren't that smart is bad enough, but Larry Summers was also asking Epstein for advice on harassing a woman under the guise of mentorship. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’ | News | The Harvard Crimson
When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jef...
www.thecrimson.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:26 PM
The absolute misogynistic delusion of claiming women don't succeed in academia because they aren't that smart is bad enough, but Larry Summers was also asking Epstein for advice on harassing a woman under the guise of mentorship. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Remember when the AMA was against the Obamacare public option? They’re Olympic gold medalists in being wrong
Tomorrow, the AMA is giving a platform to Dr. Oz — CMS Administrator destroying Medicare and Medicaid.
Residents can’t freely dissent or the AMA will punish them.
This isn’t “dialogue.” It’s coercion.
We wrote the position statement the AMA won’t.
Document link:
drive.proton.me/urls/9CR5SB3...
Residents can’t freely dissent or the AMA will punish them.
This isn’t “dialogue.” It’s coercion.
We wrote the position statement the AMA won’t.
Document link:
drive.proton.me/urls/9CR5SB3...
![REPORT OF THE AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE CONDITIONS, SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY, AND RESIDENT ORGANIZING IN THE POST-2020 POLICY ENVIRONMENT
Position Statement on the Dr. Mehmet Oz Event: Threats to Scientific Integrity and the Coercion of Resident Physicians
Executive Summary
The American medical profession is undergoing a structural realignment driven by three converging forces: the accelerating unionization of resident physicians [1]; the collapse of scientific and public‑health norms in the United States due to the political capture of federal agencies [2]; and a widening gap between the priorities of organized medicine’s legacy institutions and the lived reality of trainees. Medical students and residents now occupy the most precarious position in the physician workforce while simultaneously holding the greatest leverage to redirect the profession’s trajectory.
The present moment is shaped by the consolidation of political power by the current Republican administration and the placement of high‑profile COVID‑19 contrarians—individuals whose pandemic‑era claims were repeatedly discredited—into leadership roles within federal science and health agencies [3]. This shift has destabilized traditional assumptions about evidence‑based governance, regulatory oversight, and the civic role of physicians.
Meanwhile, the resident workforce—the backbone of the U.S. hospital system—faces unprecedented strain: declining inflation‑adjusted wages, chronic understaffing, escalating retaliation risks, and high levels of burnout. Residents organizing through CIR/SEIU have secured major gains across the country [4], while the AMA has only recently adopted policies supportive of collective bargaining for residents.
This report outlines the structural dynamics shaping the profession, the interaction between political disinformation and medical licensure, the implications for trainees, and recommendations for coordinated action between CIR, medical students, and aligned…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nqarhi3oedy4dv6uv5sdoi4r/bafkreibfns5dabf36wpntpmf2hqunebhsflyg4tzxwsszlizjlpix3rpmm@jpeg)
![1997 Balanced Budget Act [6]. These decisions often relied on the belief that physician oversupply would reduce quality or compress income.
COVID‑19 exposed the fragility of this system. Several U.S.-licensed physicians—including some with academic affiliations—used their credentials to oppose public‑health measures and promote unproven treatments. Their claims were amplified by political networks and media ecosystems, contributing to public distrust and increased mortality [7].
Disciplinary action against these physicians was rare. State medical boards were slow or unwilling to intervene [8]. Meanwhile, prominent contrarian physicians consolidated political influence and now occupy key federal health leadership roles.
II. Recent Developments Affecting Trainees
Residents have responded to worsening conditions by organizing at an unprecedented rate. CIR/SEIU now represents tens of thousands of residents across major academic systems. Recent wins include wage increases, due‑process rights, parental‑leave expansions, and improved safety provisions [9].
Medical students increasingly view collective action as the only viable mechanism for improving training conditions. This generational shift is redefining the culture of medicine and the relationship between physicians and institutional authority.
The AMA, historically ambivalent toward physician unionization, adopted policy in 2024 recognizing the legitimacy of resident collective bargaining [10]. However, the AMA’s primary legislative focus remains national scope‑of‑practice battles and physician payment reform, leaving trainees without a national body focused primarily on workplace safety, retaliation protections, or fair compensation.
III. Scientific Integrity Under Political Pressure
The integration of discredited COVID‑19 contrarian physicians into federal leadership represents a fundamental change in the environment for scientific practice [11]. Their elevation undermines the authority of evidence‑based instit…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nqarhi3oedy4dv6uv5sdoi4r/bafkreih5migf4gkghfc2latv7hvx7g25dj57e5bjtxsc4ppt25dpkoi2cy@jpeg)
![Third, trainees who advocate for evidence‑based care may face institutional retaliation, while physicians spreading disinformation face minimal consequences. This asymmetry distorts the professional environment and pushes trainees toward organized collective protection.
IV. Areas of Alignment and Conflict Between AMA Policy and Trainee Needs
While the AMA and resident unions share interest in scientific integrity and physician well‑being, their priorities diverge significantly. Residents require safe staffing, fair compensation, due‑process protections, and freedom from retaliation. The AMA has historically prioritized national legislative battles (such as scope‑of‑practice) over the day‑to‑day realities of residency training.
However, the rise of political interference in scientific institutions creates an emerging area of alignment: both trainees and segments of organized medicine recognize that defending evidence‑based practice is essential to the profession’s future.
V. Risk Assessment for Trainees in the Current Environment
Trainees now operate in a structurally unstable ecosystem shaped by political capture of federal science agencies [12], increasing right‑wing disinformation targeting medicine [13], academic‑center fragility, declining public trust, weak state board enforcement, and widespread vulnerability to employer retaliation.
These forces combine to create a historic level of risk for trainees, and senior leadership has not adequately communicated these stakes to medical students or residents.
VI. Recommendations for Residents, Students, and CIR Leadership
Residents must assert themselves as central actors in the profession’s future. Recommendations include strengthening organizing capacity across academic centers, building communication channels independent of employer oversight, establishing reporting pathways for retaliation or scientific interference, coordinating with allied organizations (including the AMA when aligned), creating educational…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nqarhi3oedy4dv6uv5sdoi4r/bafkreiae5c47yson4c7by3jrtyk4yiaat5xeouuxvgte6j3djbzg3ezkam@jpeg)
November 16, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Remember when the AMA was against the Obamacare public option? They’re Olympic gold medalists in being wrong
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
Interesting to watch in real time as people realize that men complaining about "cancel culture" have likely done something worthy of being cancelled (as many of us always assumed)
November 16, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Interesting to watch in real time as people realize that men complaining about "cancel culture" have likely done something worthy of being cancelled (as many of us always assumed)
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
Jenna Norton has spoken critically about the Trump administration's funding cuts and mass firings at the National Institutes of Health. At the end of the shutdown, she says she was put on leave. n.pr/4oFYdPL
She criticized President Trump during the shutdown. Now she's been put on leave
Jenna Norton has spoken critically about the Trump administration's funding cuts and mass firings at the National Institutes of Health. At the end of the shutdown, she says she was put on leave.
n.pr
November 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Jenna Norton has spoken critically about the Trump administration's funding cuts and mass firings at the National Institutes of Health. At the end of the shutdown, she says she was put on leave. n.pr/4oFYdPL
Reposted by Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, Ph.D
Hearing a rumor that NIH/HHS may now plan to retaliate against other Bethesda Declaration signers.
I am one, but it’s not about me: we have been speaking out because of the ongoing damage to US medical research, cancer and Alzheimer’s research.
As @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social put well: 1/
I am one, but it’s not about me: we have been speaking out because of the ongoing damage to US medical research, cancer and Alzheimer’s research.
As @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social put well: 1/
November 14, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Hearing a rumor that NIH/HHS may now plan to retaliate against other Bethesda Declaration signers.
I am one, but it’s not about me: we have been speaking out because of the ongoing damage to US medical research, cancer and Alzheimer’s research.
As @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social put well: 1/
I am one, but it’s not about me: we have been speaking out because of the ongoing damage to US medical research, cancer and Alzheimer’s research.
As @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social put well: 1/