Benjamin Mason Meier
@benjaminmasonmeier.bsky.social
2.9K followers 190 following 160 posts

Professor of Global Health Policy at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill | Working at the intersection of #GlobalHealth & #HumanRights benjaminmasonmeier.com

Political science 31%
Sociology 23%
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
apoorvanyt.bsky.social
Hundreds of infectious disease specialists have been let go by the Trump administration. Here are four who helped to keep pandemics at bay.
(Gift article)

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/h...
They Fought Outbreaks Worldwide. Now They’re Fighting for New Lives.
www.nytimes.com
science.org
“We can continue accelerating toward an AI-powered future that amplifies existing inequities, or we can deliberately steer toward one that increases prospects for shared global prosperity,” writes Chinasa T. Okolo in a new #ScienceExpertVoices article. https://scim.ag/46JkNka
doomscroling.bsky.social
Hundreds of children in multiple states are in quarantine and on remote learning due to measles outbreaks.

The decline in MMR vaccinations has resulted in the US experiencing an increase of measles cases with 1563 total cases & 3 deaths since January.

#Pinks
angierasmussen.bsky.social
I don’t know who needs to hear this but the CDC is being eviscerated right now. America is not going to have any kind of outbreak response capacity after tonight. Americans’ health data is no longer secure. Say goodbye to federal public health in any capacity. It’s a disaster. We won’t recover.
sherylnyt.bsky.social
BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:
gstrategylab.bsky.social
GSL is proud to announce its new Global Health Law program, with Dr. @roojinhabibi.org as inaugural Research Director. This program will build capacity through law research, teaching & practice, examining the unique role of law in addressing global health challenges.

🔎Learn more: bit.ly/436vgnl
unrisd.org
With deep sadness, we remember Catarina de Albuquerque, a pioneering human rights advocate who advanced water and sanitation as fundamental rights. Her legacy shapes global policy and lives worldwide. May her memory guide us in the pursuit of justice, dignity, and equality for all
sjjphd.bsky.social
Discussing this phenomenon w/ a group of profs. Someone morbidly joked, “& northern profs are fleeing the country.” The next person said…”even if we were all willing & able to abandon this place there are not enough jobs for us globally and the U.S. employs a huge # of international scholars too.”
‘Fear and hopelessness’: study finds one in four professors consider leaving US south
Survey by American Association of Professors shows nearly quarter of respondents are switching due to states’s politics
www.theguardian.com
katiesaurusseven.bsky.social
Not surprisingly, "work requirements" poll well with lawmakers and the public because there's a naïve assumption that the system is fair. There is also a lack of awareness -- and concern -- about the vulnerable people who slip through the bureaucratic cracks.
Opinion | Medicaid Work Requirements Will Devastate People With Invisible Disabilities
ME/CFS and long COVID patients must qualify as 'medically frail'
link.broadcaster3.medpagetoday.com
joshuasweitz.bsky.social
More are united around a simple message: RFK Jr should not be HHS Sec. His decisions undermine our public health capacity and put lives and health at risk.

As 6 former Surgeon Generals argue:

"He has rejected science, misled the public and compromised the health of Americans."

🎁
wapo.st/3VTALll
Opinion | Six surgeons general: RFK Jr. is a threat to the health of Americans
It was our duty in office to warn of dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today.
wapo.st
mirandayaver.bsky.social
For some added context on why people in marketplace plans will face higher premiums, here’s my @msnbc.com analysis: www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp/rc...

From a policy perspective, this is very bad, and people will suffer. From a political perspective, Dems need to let voters see how harmful R policies are
proflhunter.bsky.social
The dismantling of US science continues. RFKJr fired the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, basically for believing in the germ theory of disease.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/h...
Kennedy Fires N.I.H. Scientist Who Filed Whistle-Blower Complaint
www.nytimes.com
karenguzzo.bsky.social
I missed this earlier this week, but the Directors of NIAID, NICHD, NIMHD, & NINR were all fired. The NIAID Director, Mazzaro, was likely fired in retaliation for speaking out against the anti-vaccine moves made by the administration.
Kennedy Fires N.I.H. Scientist Who Filed Whistle-Blower Complaint
www.nytimes.com
gregggonsalves.bsky.social
Now we have the Trump Administration's "nice university ya' got there, shame if anything should happen to it" campaign centered around a mafia-style protection racket they call "The Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." Did we help make it happen? 1/ www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion
www.nytimes.com
cristianfarias.com
Say goodbye to the separation of powers.

Top line: The Supreme Court grabs power from Congress, which decides what to do with money that belongs to all of us, and hands it to Donald Trump. Forever.

(This money will never reach its intended recipients.)

www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...
luckytran.com
UPDATE: 25 states plus DC have taken actions to protect COVID-19 vaccine access.

Two regional public health alliances have formed: The Northeast Public Health Collaborative and the West Coast Health Alliance.

There are several midwest and mountain states who have collaboration potential.
Map: 25 States Plus DC Have Taken Actions To Protect COVID-19 Vaccine Access
drtedros.who.int
My thanks and congratulations to world leaders for showing their strong support for #UNGA political declaration on noncommunicable diseases and mental health: bit.ly/4mH6S2L
martaschaaf.bsky.social
13.5% of the population in the richest country in the world experiences food insecurity. This will grow following devastating cuts to food stamps - but as part of the regime’s war on information and transparency,
We are going to stop counting. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...
Trump Administration to Stop Measuring Food Insecurity
www.nytimes.com
carlbergstrom.com
I'm probably late to the party here but has anyone else noticed that the US vaccine-finder website vaccines.gov is now broken?
Vaccines.gov

The functionality of this website may be impacted while it is being updated.

Find a pharmacy near you. Enter 5-digit zip code.

Valid codes return "Please enter a valid 5-digit ZIP Code" in multiple browsers.

benjaminmasonmeier.bsky.social
"The U.N. is streamlining as it copes with the fallout from U.S. foreign aid cuts under President Donald Trump that have gutted humanitarian agencies."
This abandonment of U.S. leadership in global health will undermine global governance & cause unnecessary death.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
billkristolbulwark.bsky.social
"My thoughts turned to David Rose, who volunteered to try to prevent another such attack on our country, and then, when back home, ran toward danger once again to help his fellow Americans."
www.thebulwark.com/p/a-hero-dav...
A Hero We Didn’t Deserve
Remembering David Rose who ran towards danger.
www.thebulwark.com
bachynski.bsky.social
“What we’re seeing is what happens when individuals who have don’t have a basic understanding about how vaccines are delivered are making these crucial policy decisions for the American public. They don’t know what they’re doing” -Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases
CDC committee votes on COVID-19 shots amid widespread criticism
After a contentious discussion that at times referenced discredited theories, low-quality data and desperate pleas from physicians and patients to rely upon sound science, a key committee of the U.S.
www.latimes.com