A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.

Almost the entire staff of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, known as the “voice of the CDC,” has been laid off, former publication editor-in-chief Charlotte Kent told STAT Saturday.
www.statnews.com/2025/10/11/c...

“Calling this a budget issue is a lie. It’s an abuse of power — unethical, unlawful, and profoundly dangerous,” a high-ranking CDC official told me.

www.statnews.com/2025/10/11/c...

NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.”
Among those RIFd:
—leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases;
—leadership of global health center
—leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4

HHS confirms to @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social that it will be impacted by the RIFS promised earlier today by Russel Vought

If you or your colleagues have been impacted, please reach out

www.statnews.com/2025/10/10/h...

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

The Trump admin wouldn't tell us who's being deployed to Indian Health Service facilities.

But we discovered top leaders at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration were sent on the 120-day stints — potentially disrupting programs targeting the opioid epidemic.

Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...

Last week, NExTRAC met for the last time. The group advised NIH on emerging biotechnologies of concern. Without it, the US govt is "closing its eyes to the future," one member told @aniloza.bsky.social and me.

It's just one of 47 HHS ad comms terminated this year:

www.statnews.com/2025/10/07/h...

For 3 years, I've reported on 2 big telehealth trends: pharma partnerships and compounding. They've gone head-to-head as patients demand GLP-1s.

But they've been part of the same story for much longer. Here's how telehealth got hooked on drug-first thinking: www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/t...

The 2025 Nobel in medicine has gone to three scientists whose work helps explain a marvel of our immune system — that it is able to, with exquisite precision, differentiate what should be fended off and what should be left as is.

More from STAT's Andrew Joseph:

www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/n...

After months in limbo, four NIH institute directors fired, @science.org reports, including Jeanne Marrazzo, who filed a whistleblower complaint against the agency last month.

www.science.org/content/arti...

With last week's announcement on Tylenol, pregnancy & autism — & an FDA panel in July on SSRIs during pregnancy — I've been thinking about exclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials. Talked to some experts about how we got here, and what can change:
www.statnews.com/2025/10/02/c...

New: ICE has bought a tool that tracks the locations of hundreds of millions of phones globally, updates every single day. Usually harvested from apps and advertising

www.404media.co/ice-to-buy-t...

2 weeks ago RFK's ACIP voted to change recommendations for Covid vaccines

The CDC director has yet to sign off on them, so states aren't able to order vaccines through the vaccines for children program (which covers ~50% of kids)

w/ @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2025/09/30/c...

Excruciating read. When HIV and antimalarial drugs were stranded, children died, Post reporters found.
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

“There’s no scientific evidence that separating the vaccines provides any medical benefit. I can say that unequivocally,” Jake Scott, a Stanford infectious disease doc, told STAT's @aniloza.bsky.social

“In fact, all of the evidence points in the opposite direction”

www.statnews.com/2025/09/26/t...

A new senate report is full of *shocking* details about DOGE activities inside the federal government. Including, unfortunately, the disturbing access that DOGE affiliates had to our SSNs:

"One whistleblower noted the possibility that the agency may need to re-issue SSNs to all who possess one."

Anthony Letai of Dana-Farber is the front-runner to lead National Cancer Institute, NIH's largest institute. Nice exclusive via @matthewherper.bsky.social and @angusrohan.bsky.social for @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2025/09/24/n...

Trump, Kennedy say the data show that Tylenol use during pregnancy causes autism.

It doesn't, but the PACER files show that the researcher whose data is fueling their conclusions was paid $150,000 to testify in a case against Tylenol.

www.statnews.com/2025/09/23/r...

Smart story from @jonathanwosen.bsky.social and @angusrohan.bsky.social on the dangerous new territory Trump waded into Monday as he issued direct medical advice regarding the use of Tylenol. Almost makes one nostalgic for the days of some light bleach-pushing.

www.statnews.com/2025/09/23/t...

What President Trump said today about vaccines could send shockwaves through the country for a very long time.

Story from @danielpayne.bsky.social @aniloza.bsky.social @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2025/09/22/t...

A very unusual move at the FDA as the Trump administration unveils its "Autism Action Plan"

www.statnews.com/2025/09/22/f...

Had a really interesting convo with the guy who coined the term "evidence based medicine," who has also worked on some systematic reviews of gender-affirming care. He says using the reviews as justification for banning care is an “egregious and unconscionable” misuse www.statnews.com/2025/09/22/e...