Leigh Turner
@leighturner.bsky.social
Professor, Department of Health, Society, & Behavior, School of Population & Public Health & Director, Center for Health Ethics at UCI | bioethics | public health ethics | research ethics
"Since January, D.C. plastic surgeons have seen a wave of Trump insiders asking for overt procedures in line with the 'Mar-a-Lago face' look." www.axios.com/local/washin...
D.C. plastic surgeons see surge in "Mar‑a‑Lago face" requests from Trump insiders
"[They] want to look like they had something done."
www.axios.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:59 AM
"Since January, D.C. plastic surgeons have seen a wave of Trump insiders asking for overt procedures in line with the 'Mar-a-Lago face' look." www.axios.com/local/washin...
"There's really no way that we can sign the compact as written and we don't plan to." www.wunc.org/education/20...
After faculty raise concerns, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor says university will not sign Trump's higher ed compact
Lee Roberts called the "preferential treatment" proposal a clear infringement on academic freedom.
www.wunc.org
November 11, 2025 at 12:50 AM
"There's really no way that we can sign the compact as written and we don't plan to." www.wunc.org/education/20...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
I miss the incredible science writer Sharon Begley every day. She‘s gifted us with this remembrance (written before her untimely passing) of Jim Watson + his “public and unrepentant racism and sexism that made him a pariah in life and poisoned his legacy in death.”
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I miss the incredible science writer Sharon Begley every day. She‘s gifted us with this remembrance (written before her untimely passing) of Jim Watson + his “public and unrepentant racism and sexism that made him a pariah in life and poisoned his legacy in death.”
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
I appreciate @bmj.com follows a formal process, but just how much evidence do they need before adding an Expression of Concern.
Numerous PubPeer comments for stem cell for heart disease paper - which had huge media attention hailing it as a medical breakthrough.
pubpeer.com/publications...
Numerous PubPeer comments for stem cell for heart disease paper - which had huge media attention hailing it as a medical breakthrough.
pubpeer.com/publications...
PubPeer - Prevention of acute myocardial infarction induced heart fail...
There are comments on PubPeer for publication: Prevention of acute myocardial infarction induced heart failure by intracoronary infusion of mesenchymal stem cells: phase 3 randomised clinical trial (P...
pubpeer.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:42 AM
I appreciate @bmj.com follows a formal process, but just how much evidence do they need before adding an Expression of Concern.
Numerous PubPeer comments for stem cell for heart disease paper - which had huge media attention hailing it as a medical breakthrough.
pubpeer.com/publications...
Numerous PubPeer comments for stem cell for heart disease paper - which had huge media attention hailing it as a medical breakthrough.
pubpeer.com/publications...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
Research cardiologist Dr Peter Wilmshurst is on fire
pubpeer.com/publications...
pubpeer.com/publications...
PubPeer - Prevention of acute myocardial infarction induced heart fail...
There are comments on PubPeer for publication: Prevention of acute myocardial infarction induced heart failure by intracoronary infusion of mesenchymal stem cells: phase 3 randomised clinical trial (P...
pubpeer.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Research cardiologist Dr Peter Wilmshurst is on fire
pubpeer.com/publications...
pubpeer.com/publications...
"Overnight, some lost the jobs they’d held for years; others closed shops, walked away from leases and left homes standing empty. Many have also lost their licenses, health insurance and access to routine care." www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Venezuelans begin fleeing U.S. as protections end and threat of war looms
TPS expired for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans on Friday. Many are shuttering business, selling homes and boarding planes, or scrambling to find a way to stay.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:09 AM
"Overnight, some lost the jobs they’d held for years; others closed shops, walked away from leases and left homes standing empty. Many have also lost their licenses, health insurance and access to routine care." www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
“I mean, why willingly expose yourself to this hornet’s nest?” www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/f...
FDA broadens search for new top drug regulator after early setbacks
George Tidmarsh left the agency amid accusations of misusing his authority and after clashing with another top official.
www.statnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:00 PM
“I mean, why willingly expose yourself to this hornet’s nest?” www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/f...
"A vast majority of the about two dozen poster-style images posted in recent months feature a White man; most are blond, and a significant number are blue-eyed." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Labor Department social media campaign depicts a White male workforce
The campaign has drawn scrutiny, with critics saying it is not realistically portraying the country’s diversity and is sending messages that feel exclusionary.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:50 PM
"A vast majority of the about two dozen poster-style images posted in recent months feature a White man; most are blond, and a significant number are blue-eyed." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
sobering piece by Carl Elliot on missing literature on medical scandals
www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...
www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...
What Research Scandals? Welcome to the Bioethics Memory Hole : The Hastings Center for Bioethics
It is striking how many notorious cases of abuses of human research subjects go almost entirely unmentioned in the bioethics literature.
www.thehastingscenter.org
November 7, 2025 at 1:26 PM
sobering piece by Carl Elliot on missing literature on medical scandals
www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...
www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
Illuminating analysis of Forced Ketamine Studies, Excited Delirium, and Police Violence by @carlelliott.bsky.social and Lauren Wilson onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The Hennepin Healthcare Forced Ketamine Studies, Excited Delirium, and Police Violence
In the summer of 2018, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported clinical trials at Hennepin County Medical Center in which emergency medical personnel were injecting agitated individuals with ketamine, ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Illuminating analysis of Forced Ketamine Studies, Excited Delirium, and Police Violence by @carlelliott.bsky.social and Lauren Wilson onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
A week after @bmj.com published a highly publicized paper claiming stem cell therapy can reduce the risk of heart failure, sleuths have unearthed what they are calling “serious” inconsistencies in the data.
Sleuths flag ‘complete mismatch’ in data of BMJ stem cell study
A week after The BMJ published a highly publicized paper claiming stem cell therapy can reduce the risk of heart failure, sleuths have unearthed what they are calling “serious” inconsistencies in t…
retractionwatch.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:59 PM
A week after @bmj.com published a highly publicized paper claiming stem cell therapy can reduce the risk of heart failure, sleuths have unearthed what they are calling “serious” inconsistencies in the data.
Reposted by Leigh Turner
I am so very excited about this new chapter of my life. Looking forward to working alongside talented colleagues to find creatives ways to leverage knowledge for the benefit of Canadians www.dal.ca/news/2025/11...
Dalhousie’s Dr. Françoise Baylis begins new chapter as president of the Royal Society of Canada
Global bioethics leader steps into a pivotal national role, aiming to deepen public trust in research, amplify Canadian voices on the world stage, and champion science for societal good.
www.dal.ca
November 6, 2025 at 9:17 PM
I am so very excited about this new chapter of my life. Looking forward to working alongside talented colleagues to find creatives ways to leverage knowledge for the benefit of Canadians www.dal.ca/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
Armed ICE officers arrested a teacher early Wednesday in Chicago after chasing her onto the grounds of a private preschool and grabbing her as parents and students looked on, according to a local official and witnesses.
Armed ICE officers chase teacher into preschool in Chicago
The arrest appears to be among the first in which in which immigration officers entered school grounds as part of an enforcement operation during Trump’s second administration.
wapo.st
November 5, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Armed ICE officers arrested a teacher early Wednesday in Chicago after chasing her onto the grounds of a private preschool and grabbing her as parents and students looked on, according to a local official and witnesses.
"It’s time for the FDA to do its job - and it’s just our bad luck that this comes at a time when the FDA has never been less able to do that." www.science.org/content/blog... By @dereklowe.bsky.social
Sarepta: Enough, For God's Sake
www.science.org
November 5, 2025 at 10:34 PM
"It’s time for the FDA to do its job - and it’s just our bad luck that this comes at a time when the FDA has never been less able to do that." www.science.org/content/blog... By @dereklowe.bsky.social
“The legitimate discussion risks being drowned by the synthetic noise.” www.science.org/content/arti...
Letters to scientific journals surge as ‘prolific debutante’ authors likely use AI
New study reinforces worries about “mass production of junk” by unscrupulous scholars aiming to pad their CVs
www.science.org
November 5, 2025 at 10:29 PM
“The legitimate discussion risks being drowned by the synthetic noise.” www.science.org/content/arti...
"Starting next fall, the University of California system office will no longer pay for the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, a fellowship established in 1984 to encourage more women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academic careers." www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
UC to Stop Funding Systemwide Postdoc Program
Established in 1984 to encourage women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academia, the program has attracted right-wing criticism for prioritizing diverse candidates.
www.insidehighered.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:36 PM
"Starting next fall, the University of California system office will no longer pay for the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, a fellowship established in 1984 to encourage more women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academic careers." www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
"The multiyear spending plan also calls for a 2% cut to the nation’s three major research funding councils. But that reduction is far smaller than the 15% cut researchers had feared was coming, and science advocacy groups generally welcomed the budget."
Canada makes pitch for US researchers to relocate with $1.7bn in new funding. My story for @science.org 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Canada’s new budget aims to lure U.S. researchers to relocate
Spending plan also calls for smaller research spending cut than feared
www.science.org
November 5, 2025 at 6:39 PM
"The multiyear spending plan also calls for a 2% cut to the nation’s three major research funding councils. But that reduction is far smaller than the 15% cut researchers had feared was coming, and science advocacy groups generally welcomed the budget."
FDA has issued a warning letter to Apotex Inc., based in Toronto, Ontario. The letter documents "significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for finished pharmaceuticals." www.fda.gov/inspections-...
Apotex Inc. - 714137 - 10/31/2025
CGMP/Finished Pharmaceuticals/Adulterated
www.fda.gov
November 5, 2025 at 4:57 PM
FDA has issued a warning letter to Apotex Inc., based in Toronto, Ontario. The letter documents "significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for finished pharmaceuticals." www.fda.gov/inspections-...
Arena BioWorks flames out. www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/a...
Arena BioWorks, an ambitious biomedical institute backed by billionaires, abruptly shuts down
Exclusive: Arena Bioworks, the buzzy research institute that launched with $500 million to support a decade of scientific R&D, is abruptly shutting down, STAT has learned.
www.statnews.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Arena BioWorks flames out. www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/a...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
NEWS: Federal agents crashed with woman’s car, pointed guns at her, dragged her out by legs, tossed her in a minivan, held her and (eventually) let her go without charges. This as Chicagoans say the immigration blitz is out of control. (DHS blames her.)
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
Chicago woman dragged out of her car after colliding with ICE demands accountability
The arrest of Dayanne Figueroa highlights growing concerns about the use of force against U.S. citizens and due process. She was released after a few hours without charges.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:26 PM
NEWS: Federal agents crashed with woman’s car, pointed guns at her, dragged her out by legs, tossed her in a minivan, held her and (eventually) let her go without charges. This as Chicagoans say the immigration blitz is out of control. (DHS blames her.)
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...
"It was the latest shockwave to sweep through an agency beset by all kinds of tumult in recent months." www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...
Experts worry FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and 'soap opera'
Experts worry that the FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and "soap opera."
www.statnews.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:37 PM
"It was the latest shockwave to sweep through an agency beset by all kinds of tumult in recent months." www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...
"Bioethicists owe a large debt to the historians who have excavated the research scandals of the past, but not all scandals have been consigned to history." www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc... By @carlelliott.bsky.social
What Research Scandals? Welcome to the Bioethics Memory Hole : The Hastings Center for Bioethics
It is striking how many notorious cases of abuses of human research subjects go almost entirely unmentioned in the bioethics literature.
www.thehastingscenter.org
November 4, 2025 at 11:27 PM
"Bioethicists owe a large debt to the historians who have excavated the research scandals of the past, but not all scandals have been consigned to history." www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc... By @carlelliott.bsky.social
Reposted by Leigh Turner
Thanks to @carlelliott.bsky.social for publishing this important piece about how research scandals occupy too little of the bioethics literature -- and for his extensive discussion of exploitation of disabled people in the Willowbrook hepatitis experiments.
www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...
www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...
What Research Scandals? Welcome to the Bioethics Memory Hole : The Hastings Center for Bioethics
It is striking how many notorious cases of abuses of human research subjects go almost entirely unmentioned in the bioethics literature.
www.thehastingscenter.org
November 4, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Thanks to @carlelliott.bsky.social for publishing this important piece about how research scandals occupy too little of the bioethics literature -- and for his extensive discussion of exploitation of disabled people in the Willowbrook hepatitis experiments.
www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...
www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
“We are witnessing nothing less than a clown show at #FDA right now.” People who worked at or rely on the US drug regulator see dysfunctional leadership & soap opera-ish behavior at a key federal agency, @matthewherper.bsky.social & @lizzylawrence.bsky.social report. www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...
Experts worry FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and 'soap opera'
Experts worry that the FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and "soap opera."
www.statnews.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:50 PM
“We are witnessing nothing less than a clown show at #FDA right now.” People who worked at or rely on the US drug regulator see dysfunctional leadership & soap opera-ish behavior at a key federal agency, @matthewherper.bsky.social & @lizzylawrence.bsky.social report. www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
“Bioethicists owe a debt to historians who excavated the research scandals of the past,…[but] you can see them at medical institutions everywhere, including your own….you may be repelled by what you see.” @carlelliott.bsky.social www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...
What Research Scandals? Welcome to the Bioethics Memory Hole : The Hastings Center for Bioethics
It is striking how many notorious cases of abuses of human research subjects go almost entirely unmentioned in the bioethics literature.
www.thehastingscenter.org
November 4, 2025 at 3:59 PM
“Bioethicists owe a debt to historians who excavated the research scandals of the past,…[but] you can see them at medical institutions everywhere, including your own….you may be repelled by what you see.” @carlelliott.bsky.social www.thehastingscenter.org/what-researc...