Rebecca Green PhD

Project Scientist at UCSD, opinions are my own

[Rebecca Green PhD @greenbeegreen]

@SpermnOocyte @CellCellPress Interesting work. Did you look at mitotic timing up to D4 as well as looking for mitotic errors?

[Emma J Chory @chorye]

This one is hard to see.

The NIH Early Independence Award, one of the most competitive grants in the country for young scientists, will not go forward in FY2026. NIH says this is due to “administrative changes to funding opportunity processing and delays in approvals.”

[Rebecca Green PhD @greenbeegreen]

Congrats to Arshad on the well deserved honor!

[Journal of Cell Biology @JCellBiol]

Congratulations to JCB Academic Editor Arshad Desai on his election to @theNASciences. We are proud to have your expertise serving the journal. #NASmembers https://t.co/pvuR0IWu6w

[Max Kozlov @maxdkozlov]

The Trump administration has downsized US science by historic margins — but it's not just via grant or workforce cuts.

Our new @nature analysis reveals the government has cut more than 100 scientific advisory panels across all major science agencies.

[National Academy of Sciences @theNASciences]

We are thrilled to announce the election of 120 members and 25 international members to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continued achievements in original research.

Congratulations to our new #NASmembers and welcome to the Academy! 🎊

[Isaac Saul @Ike_Saul]

Over the weekend, my piece from Friday was heavily cited, aggregated and re-shared by several news organizations, so we've decided to drop the paywall on the piece and make it accessible to the public.

Here it is: https://t.co/daFNgjxfCf

[Senator Mark Kelly @SenMarkKelly]

RFK Jr. fired the CDC Director, tore up vaccine contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and put anti-vaxxers in charge of public health. He’s telling parents to fight measles with Vitamin A and cod liver oil like it’s 1825. If you feel like your kids are less safe, you’re right. This is what happens when loyalty gets the job over competence.

[DrDemetre @dr_demetre]

My resignation letter from CDC.

Dear Dr. Houry,

I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business.   I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested.

This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough.

While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people.  This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.  The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.   The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership.  This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors.  Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people.

It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC.  The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense.  Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function.  Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

The recent term of reference for the COVID vaccine work group created by this ACIP puts people of dubious intent and more dubious scientific rigor in charge of recommending vaccine policy to a director hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader.   Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.  Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc.

I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again.  I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season.  Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.”  We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary.  I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us.  Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources.  At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him.  To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information.

The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer.  I believe in nutrition and exercise.  I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability.  Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning.  My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so.  I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud.   I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur.  I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed.

For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics.  I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision.

Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically.

Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution.  If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Sincerely,

Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him)

[Dr. Catharine Young @DrCatharineY]

There are several incredible science policy/advocacy/ leadership programs & fellowships currently accepting applications:

1. Howard Garrison Advocacy Fellowship: deadline: 7/14

2. Presidential Leadership Scholars program- deadline: 7/20

3. Mirzayan Fellowship program deadline: 8/20

4. National Academies New Voices program - deadline: 9/3

Info and links below:

[Rebecca Green PhD @greenbeegreen]

Heartbreaking. This is not waste, fraud or abuse. @NIH @HHSGov @NIHDirector_Jay

[Yin lab @HenryYin19]

NIH is slow to send funds for non-competing renewals. This is disrupting research in many labs, including mine. I was expecting payment for one NINDS grant 2 months ago, but I'm still waiting. I don't understand exactly why this is happening. It'd be impossible for us to continue this research if we don't receive funds soon. For those whose salary depends on these funds, it's a rather urgent matter. @DrJBhattacharya, I hope you can address this problem ASAP.

[Lior Pachter @lpachter]

This week in academia, a not so short🧵...

1. Staff reductions and other cost cutting measures coming to Brown University https://t.co/N3Py1ycIHF

[Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR MBA @michael_hoerger]

1) Here's a quick example of how the federal government is censoring the best scientific research. It's not just cuts to ongoing research.

It's new grant submissions too...

[Alon Mizrahi @alon_mizrahi]

This is not Al-Shifa Hospital. This is the Weizmann Institute of Science

[Maria Shriver @mariashriver]

In a historic and unprecedented move, all of the institutions at the @NIH have signed on to and sent a letter, the Bethesda Declaration, to the new director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, about the chaos at the NIH. This is a big deal, as it ultimately impacts all of us. It impacts the research that gets done or not done. It impacts what we know or what we will never know. Let’s see what the response will be, as the director is scheduled to testify before Congress tomorrow about the NIH’s budget.

In other news, speaking of unprecedented, Bhattacharya‘s boss just removed all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisers, saying the group is “plagued with conflicts of interest.”

It’s a chaotic, unprecedented time. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Yes the noise is loud, but we must continue to pay attention to what matters and stay informed and engaged! #abovethenoise

[Dr Ellie Murray, ScD @EpiEllie]

Having read the MAHA report, what stands out most to me as an epidemiologist is how inexplicably sloppy it is.

The US government collects data on every health condition you can think of, and the report doesn’t use any of it.

[Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D. @hubermanlab]

I’m assembling a group of scientists to publicly address the potential upcoming NIH 40% budget cut. This will be a very public matter. Direct message me if you’re interested. But this will be the only issue we’re going to address. Not university politics, immigration etc. 40%…!

[Jared Ryan Sears @JaredRyanSears]

People who did all the right things, came here legally, obtained a visa, and went to all of their immigration hearings, are being arrested, detained, and having their visas revoked without warning.

American citizens who committed terrible crimes are receiving pardons left and right as long as they support a convicted felon who is unraveling our economy, eroding our rights, and destroying our world standing.

America is backward.

[Claude Taylor @TrueFactsStated]

My step mom who raised me had polio. One leg was was six inches shorter than the other. As a child she was in the hospital for a year. She suffered her entire life from its effects. I cannot express how much I loathe this man.

[Pete Buttigieg @PeteButtigieg]

America cannot long remain free, nor first among nations, if it becomes the kind of place where universities are dismantled because they don't align politically with the current head of the government.