Kristen Brennand
@kristenbrennand.bsky.social
Stem cell scientist in a genomics world🧬🧠. Mom to a third-grader! 🌈🦄. Wife. Runner🏃♀️🚴♀️🏂. Immigrant 🇨🇦. @MountSinaiNYC to @YaleMed. she/her.
Pinned
a cartoon chipmunk is jumping in the air with his arms outstretched and the words `` hello it 's me again '' .
ALT: a cartoon chipmunk is jumping in the air with his arms outstretched and the words `` hello it 's me again '' .
media.tenor.com
I figured today was as good a day as any to introduce myself over here!
My lab combines stem cell models and genome engineering to study how the interactions between genes and environments contributes to brain disease. The only thing I find more rewarding than scientific discovery is mentoring…
My lab combines stem cell models and genome engineering to study how the interactions between genes and environments contributes to brain disease. The only thing I find more rewarding than scientific discovery is mentoring…
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
Update on funding curves and late non-competitive renewals.
First, funding curves for new and competitive renewals.
1/n
First, funding curves for new and competitive renewals.
1/n
July 15, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Update on funding curves and late non-competitive renewals.
First, funding curves for new and competitive renewals.
1/n
First, funding curves for new and competitive renewals.
1/n
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
Hi y'all, I am on the job hunt due to a recent layoff. I have expertise in virology, neuroimmunology, and drug discovery. I am passionate about performing creative hypothesis-driven research to make discoveries that will benefit human health and quality of life. Pls reach out if you'd like to chat!
July 15, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Hi y'all, I am on the job hunt due to a recent layoff. I have expertise in virology, neuroimmunology, and drug discovery. I am passionate about performing creative hypothesis-driven research to make discoveries that will benefit human health and quality of life. Pls reach out if you'd like to chat!
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
Pls sign and share!
Petition to Reverse the NIH Indirect Cost Cap initiated by Tom Maniatis. Please amplify
Sign the Petition: chng.it/kK2HMP5pGk
"Share with Leadership & Faculty. Reach out to professional societies, biotech and pharma leaders, and philanthropic organizations to raise awareness and mobilize support."
Sign the Petition: chng.it/kK2HMP5pGk
"Share with Leadership & Faculty. Reach out to professional societies, biotech and pharma leaders, and philanthropic organizations to raise awareness and mobilize support."
Sign the Petition
Petition to Reverse the NIH Indirect Cost Cap (NOT-OD-25-068)
chng.it
February 11, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Pls sign and share!
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
Rightfully, the cuts to Medicaid (over 10M people will lose their health care) and the tax cuts for the rich have been the story of the disastrous Republican budget bill.
But I read the whole thing. And there are some hidden rats in there you need to know about.
1/ A quick🧵
But I read the whole thing. And there are some hidden rats in there you need to know about.
1/ A quick🧵
May 21, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Rightfully, the cuts to Medicaid (over 10M people will lose their health care) and the tax cuts for the rich have been the story of the disastrous Republican budget bill.
But I read the whole thing. And there are some hidden rats in there you need to know about.
1/ A quick🧵
But I read the whole thing. And there are some hidden rats in there you need to know about.
1/ A quick🧵
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
Good thread that does not even include the NIH director disbanding the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Advisors
May 2, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Good thread that does not even include the NIH director disbanding the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Advisors
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
Time to catch up on the past week’s news about science and medicine in the US. Whew. 1/10
May 1, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Time to catch up on the past week’s news about science and medicine in the US. Whew. 1/10
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
Hello Community!
Are you a postdoc/grad student preparing to launch a faculty search? Do you have a track record of excellence in research, leadership, mentorship & community engagement? Apply to the 2025 Next Generation Faculty Symposium: www.berkeleystanfordnextgensymposium.com! Pls repost! (1/3)
Are you a postdoc/grad student preparing to launch a faculty search? Do you have a track record of excellence in research, leadership, mentorship & community engagement? Apply to the 2025 Next Generation Faculty Symposium: www.berkeleystanfordnextgensymposium.com! Pls repost! (1/3)
April 21, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Hello Community!
Are you a postdoc/grad student preparing to launch a faculty search? Do you have a track record of excellence in research, leadership, mentorship & community engagement? Apply to the 2025 Next Generation Faculty Symposium: www.berkeleystanfordnextgensymposium.com! Pls repost! (1/3)
Are you a postdoc/grad student preparing to launch a faculty search? Do you have a track record of excellence in research, leadership, mentorship & community engagement? Apply to the 2025 Next Generation Faculty Symposium: www.berkeleystanfordnextgensymposium.com! Pls repost! (1/3)
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
“We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.”
Colleges are finally standing up to Trump, taking their lead and nerve from Harvard, whose sharp response clearly stunned the White House.
Colleges are finally standing up to Trump, taking their lead and nerve from Harvard, whose sharp response clearly stunned the White House.
At last, college presidents are standing up to Trump
A letter signed by more than 400 university heads offers a sharp rebuke to the bully-in-chief.
www.motherjones.com
April 25, 2025 at 12:02 PM
“We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.”
Colleges are finally standing up to Trump, taking their lead and nerve from Harvard, whose sharp response clearly stunned the White House.
Colleges are finally standing up to Trump, taking their lead and nerve from Harvard, whose sharp response clearly stunned the White House.
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
The notice and COMMENT PERIOD OPENED TODAY AND CLOSES MAY 23.
Anyone who would like to register an objection or comment should go to this page and click on the green “public comment” button at the top:
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
6/n
Anyone who would like to register an objection or comment should go to this page and click on the green “public comment” button at the top:
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
6/n
Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing a rule to increase career employee accountability. Agency supervisors report great difficulty removing employees for poor performance or misconduc...
www.federalregister.gov
April 23, 2025 at 6:17 PM
The notice and COMMENT PERIOD OPENED TODAY AND CLOSES MAY 23.
Anyone who would like to register an objection or comment should go to this page and click on the green “public comment” button at the top:
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
6/n
Anyone who would like to register an objection or comment should go to this page and click on the green “public comment” button at the top:
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
6/n
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
It has taken decades to get to this point, but stem cells for Parkinson's disease showing promise in 2 clinical trials
nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
Clinical trials test the safety of stem-cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease
Transplanting dopamine-releasing neurons into the brain is a promising regenerative therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Two clinical trials show that it is safe, but more evidence is needed to prove its ...
nature.com
April 16, 2025 at 3:35 PM
It has taken decades to get to this point, but stem cells for Parkinson's disease showing promise in 2 clinical trials
nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
I am beyond thrilled to highlight @mbfneuro.bsky.social's thesis work! I've learned so much through his studies and am excited to take this project in new directions!
I’m so proud and beyond thrilled to share the final product of my thesis work from @sinaibrain.bsky.social , now published in @nature.com! Here, we explored the complex functional impact of rare neurexin-1 deletions across human glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Phenotypic complexities of rare heterozygous neurexin-1 deletions - Nature
How NRXN1 variants affect multiple neuropsychiatric disorders is explored.
www.nature.com
April 14, 2025 at 6:13 PM
I am beyond thrilled to highlight @mbfneuro.bsky.social's thesis work! I've learned so much through his studies and am excited to take this project in new directions!
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
I’m so proud and beyond thrilled to share the final product of my thesis work from @sinaibrain.bsky.social , now published in @nature.com! Here, we explored the complex functional impact of rare neurexin-1 deletions across human glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Phenotypic complexities of rare heterozygous neurexin-1 deletions - Nature
How NRXN1 variants affect multiple neuropsychiatric disorders is explored.
www.nature.com
April 9, 2025 at 4:51 PM
I’m so proud and beyond thrilled to share the final product of my thesis work from @sinaibrain.bsky.social , now published in @nature.com! Here, we explored the complex functional impact of rare neurexin-1 deletions across human glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Thank you to @booker.senate.gov for standing up and speaking for so many Americans.
I’ve taken the Senate floor and will speak for as long as I’m physically able to lift the voices of Americans who are being harmed and not being heard in this moment of crisis. Watch here:
Live: Speaking on Trump, Musk, and America’s Moral Moment on the Senate Floor | Senator Cory Booker
YouTube video by Senator Cory Booker
youtube.com
April 1, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Thank you to @booker.senate.gov for standing up and speaking for so many Americans.
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
I’ve taken the Senate floor and will speak for as long as I’m physically able to lift the voices of Americans who are being harmed and not being heard in this moment of crisis. Watch here:
Live: Speaking on Trump, Musk, and America’s Moral Moment on the Senate Floor | Senator Cory Booker
YouTube video by Senator Cory Booker
youtube.com
March 31, 2025 at 11:00 PM
I’ve taken the Senate floor and will speak for as long as I’m physically able to lift the voices of Americans who are being harmed and not being heard in this moment of crisis. Watch here:
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
A picture is worth a thousand words.
The administration says they're cutting a trillion in government spending. So far, 2025 spending is $1.89 trillion. It was $1.76 trillion at the same time last year. Spending is on pace to increase by 7.4% from last year.
www.marketwatch.com/story/despit...
The administration says they're cutting a trillion in government spending. So far, 2025 spending is $1.89 trillion. It was $1.76 trillion at the same time last year. Spending is on pace to increase by 7.4% from last year.
www.marketwatch.com/story/despit...
April 1, 2025 at 12:40 AM
A picture is worth a thousand words.
The administration says they're cutting a trillion in government spending. So far, 2025 spending is $1.89 trillion. It was $1.76 trillion at the same time last year. Spending is on pace to increase by 7.4% from last year.
www.marketwatch.com/story/despit...
The administration says they're cutting a trillion in government spending. So far, 2025 spending is $1.89 trillion. It was $1.76 trillion at the same time last year. Spending is on pace to increase by 7.4% from last year.
www.marketwatch.com/story/despit...
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
🚨 Over 70 graduate programs in the biological and biomedical sciences have frozen or slashed admissions.
The consequences are profound—how many brilliant minds are being shut out of research entirely? How much future discovery is being lost before it even begins?
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
The consequences are profound—how many brilliant minds are being shut out of research entirely? How much future discovery is being lost before it even begins?
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Graduate Reductions Across Biomedical Sciences (2025)
docs.google.com
March 28, 2025 at 6:57 PM
🚨 Over 70 graduate programs in the biological and biomedical sciences have frozen or slashed admissions.
The consequences are profound—how many brilliant minds are being shut out of research entirely? How much future discovery is being lost before it even begins?
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
The consequences are profound—how many brilliant minds are being shut out of research entirely? How much future discovery is being lost before it even begins?
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
The NIH plans to resume posting notices of new solicitations for grant proposals. But there’s a catch: The HHS and DOGE will review each draft notice to ensure the research that will be funded aligns with the priorities of President Trump’s administration, Science has learned. scim.ag/3DJsafL
Trump officials will screen NIH funding opportunities
Staff at biomedical agency worry about political interference in setting priorities
scim.ag
March 27, 2025 at 12:47 PM
The NIH plans to resume posting notices of new solicitations for grant proposals. But there’s a catch: The HHS and DOGE will review each draft notice to ensure the research that will be funded aligns with the priorities of President Trump’s administration, Science has learned. scim.ag/3DJsafL
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
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
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
The crush of new grant cancellations hasn't let up.
If your grant was terminated (or your app was pulled) please use this Google Form👇 to submit details for tracking purposes.
Multiple advocacy efforts are moving forward, but we must must must know more about what grants were cancelled and why.
If your grant was terminated (or your app was pulled) please use this Google Form👇 to submit details for tracking purposes.
Multiple advocacy efforts are moving forward, but we must must must know more about what grants were cancelled and why.
Cancelled NIH grant information submission form
Please use this form to submit information identifying specific NIH grants that have been cancelled for any reason after January 20, 2025.
Data from this form will be used to update the Rescinded NIH...
forms.gle
March 21, 2025 at 3:32 AM
The crush of new grant cancellations hasn't let up.
If your grant was terminated (or your app was pulled) please use this Google Form👇 to submit details for tracking purposes.
Multiple advocacy efforts are moving forward, but we must must must know more about what grants were cancelled and why.
If your grant was terminated (or your app was pulled) please use this Google Form👇 to submit details for tracking purposes.
Multiple advocacy efforts are moving forward, but we must must must know more about what grants were cancelled and why.
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
MIT offering travel advice (or rather do not travel advice) for international visitors and green card holders.
If folks at other institutions are receiving similar guidance, please consider sharing here.
Please be as safe as you can.
If folks at other institutions are receiving similar guidance, please consider sharing here.
Please be as safe as you can.
March 19, 2025 at 11:16 PM
MIT offering travel advice (or rather do not travel advice) for international visitors and green card holders.
If folks at other institutions are receiving similar guidance, please consider sharing here.
Please be as safe as you can.
If folks at other institutions are receiving similar guidance, please consider sharing here.
Please be as safe as you can.
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
Free Mahmoud Khalil. It's important to protect speech, even, perhaps especially, when we don't agree what's being said. If we don't support other people's First Amendment rights, then who will protect ours? We have to all be in this together.
March 11, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Free Mahmoud Khalil. It's important to protect speech, even, perhaps especially, when we don't agree what's being said. If we don't support other people's First Amendment rights, then who will protect ours? We have to all be in this together.
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
Bluetorial: Women, courage, and leadership
What follows will include some generalizations based on population averages of what I have experienced over the course of my career. There are, of course, exceptions in every group who are substantially more to one extreme or the other.
What follows will include some generalizations based on population averages of what I have experienced over the course of my career. There are, of course, exceptions in every group who are substantially more to one extreme or the other.
a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
media.tenor.com
March 9, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Bluetorial: Women, courage, and leadership
What follows will include some generalizations based on population averages of what I have experienced over the course of my career. There are, of course, exceptions in every group who are substantially more to one extreme or the other.
What follows will include some generalizations based on population averages of what I have experienced over the course of my career. There are, of course, exceptions in every group who are substantially more to one extreme or the other.
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
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 12:36 AM
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)"
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
BREAKING: Federal judge issues a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking NIH from implementing its "Rate Change Notice" that would dramatically cut payments under grants.
Judge Angel Kelley had previously issued a TRO blocking the change. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Judge Angel Kelley had previously issued a TRO blocking the change. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
March 5, 2025 at 8:15 PM
BREAKING: Federal judge issues a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking NIH from implementing its "Rate Change Notice" that would dramatically cut payments under grants.
Judge Angel Kelley had previously issued a TRO blocking the change. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Judge Angel Kelley had previously issued a TRO blocking the change. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Kristen Brennand
I'm pleased to share the first paper I've worked on during my PhD in @kristenbrennand.bsky.social's lab led by the amazing Carina Seah with @laurahuckins.bsky.social on the implications of gene x environment interactions for PTSD @wutsaiyale.bsky.social @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social
Who is at risk for PTSD?
Large-scale clinical data reveal that environmental factors like sex, gender, & race interact with genetic susceptibility.
Seah et al. suggest that these insights could be leveraged to personalize care after trauma. buff.ly/eqxVa9J
Large-scale clinical data reveal that environmental factors like sex, gender, & race interact with genetic susceptibility.
Seah et al. suggest that these insights could be leveraged to personalize care after trauma. buff.ly/eqxVa9J
March 4, 2025 at 3:24 PM
I'm pleased to share the first paper I've worked on during my PhD in @kristenbrennand.bsky.social's lab led by the amazing Carina Seah with @laurahuckins.bsky.social on the implications of gene x environment interactions for PTSD @wutsaiyale.bsky.social @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social