Generating, synthesizing, & translating health systems knowledge to action in global communities. Health & NatSec. Professor. Veteran. Gold Star Wife. Army Mom
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@JeromeAdamsMD Same! We went for a bike ride early ‘before it gets hot,’ & then I walked to piano lessons. I am struggling. Hydrating w Gatorade now. Disoriented & exhausted.
‘Immigrants get the job done.’ As a working scientist I have always marveled how to US attracts the greatest minds in the world. Real progress & innovation happen here. 🇺🇸❤️
On our 250th birthday, celebrating the contribution of immigrants and international collaboration
—46% of people with doctoral-level degrees working in US science and engineering fields are foreign-born
—41% of the science and engineering research published by US authors in 2024 included international collaborators
—20% of physicians working the the USA were born and educated abroad
@CarnegieFdn and @TheLancet
https://t.co/0e8pYHiY1x
After early biking on the W&OD & then walking to & from piano this morning, I may actually die. It is so hot & I am so completely spent. Please be careful friends. (Drinking a massive Gatorade right now w adult supervision.)
One of the most inspiring stories from July 4, 1776, centers on the courage and unbreakable unity of the men who adopted the Declaration of Independence.
On that day, the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia formally adopted the Declaration, with Thomas Jefferson as its primary author.
This document announced the 13 colonies’ break from Britain and proclaimed timeless ideals: that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, and that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.
The signers (starting with John Hancock’s famously bold signature on the engrossed copy, followed by others on August 2) knew they were committing an act of treason.
If the Revolution failed, they faced execution, the seizure of their homes and fortunes, and ruin for their families. British forces were already in the colonies, and a price was on the heads of leaders like Hancock.
A legendary (though possibly apocryphal) exchange captures the gravity perfectly.
As they prepared to sign, someone reportedly noted they must all hang together.
Benjamin Franklin replied with his famous wit and resolve: “Yes, we must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
This wasn’t empty bravado.
The delegates pledged “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” in the Declaration’s closing.
Many did pay a heavy price—losing property, enduring hardship, or seeing family suffer—but their stand ignited a revolution that birthed a nation founded on liberty.
What makes this story soar is the ordinary men (merchants, lawyers, farmers) choosing extraordinary principle over personal safety.
They bet everything on an idea—that free people could govern themselves—against the world’s greatest empire at the time.
Their boldness, unity in the face of mortal danger, and vision of self-evident truths continue to inspire movements for freedom worldwide.
250 years ago today, the Founding Fathers signed their own death warrants, warrants that they themselves had drafted.
Happy Fourth of July!
This legacy of defiant hope and shared sacrifice is worth celebrating today and every day.
And let’s be clear. I reached in to hug K and said, ‘I am so hot.’ And man of mine whispered, ‘I know.’ You all, I pray for you to be loved this well. ❤️🙏🏽🇺🇸