Jenny Mai Phan, PhD

@drjmphan.bsky.social

research assist. prof. of bioengineering | research on adolescence, autism, & dev psych | assist. director of community engagement | Âû | 1stGen | views entirely mine

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Upcoming Boycotts & Protests 2/28 – Economic Blackout 3/4 – #ProtectOurKids Protests 3/4 – 50501 Protests 3/7 – March for Science 3/7-3/14 – Amazon Boycott 3/21-3/28 – Nestlé Boycott 4/7-4/14 – Walmart Boycott 4/18 – Economic Blackout #2 4/21-4/28 – General Mills Boycott

A protest scene in an urban setting with a crowd of demonstrators holding various signs. One prominent sign in the foreground reads, “So bad, even introverts are here.” in bold red and blue lettering.

It may not be cool or hip in some circles, but we legitimately do need a massive amount of people to run for office. Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc. Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.

The presidents of all universities should hold a press conference together at the National Press Club in Washington DC condemning the attacks on science and universities and outline the stakes for all Americans. 1/

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Check your studentaid.gov account ppl. To my surprise, a $2k addition appeared in my account balance that I supposedly owed back in 2013. I wasn't enrolled in college during 2012-2013 because I took a gap year to work. I wasn't eligible to take out student loans during that period.

To all the civil servants who were unjustly fired from federal jobs, you didn't deserve this. We thank you for your service to this country and the world. We are a less safe nation today without you. May you find work where you will be appreciated for your talents, skills, and expertise.

Former HHS Agency Heads Highlight the Critical Role of HHS Staff In Securing America’s Health and Well-being and Economic Strength

We are honored to have worked with dedicated and skilled public servants who have been leading the fight for a healthier America at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Trump Administration now has begun arbitrarily removing HHS staff from their positions, leaving no doubt that the health and well-being of families and communities across the country will suffer as a result. The work of the members of the HHS team is not just important to the health of this country, it is also vital to the economic security of our nation. These are the dedicated public servants who have been:

making sure your food and water are safe;
running the health insurance programs that cover nearly half of all Americans;
making sure hospitals, dialysis centers and nursing homes provide quality care;
finding cures and treatments for diseases like pediatric cancer;
standing up the 988 Suicide and Crisis lifeline and other mental health services;
combatting the overdose and fentanyl crisis;
getting primary care to rural communities;
providing support for new moms and babies;
ensuring families have access to affordable high-quality child care;
ensuring that new drugs and devices are safe and effective;
detecting and responding to infectious disease threats in communities around the country;
serving survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and children in foster care;
and so much more.

These individuals are not numbers on a spreadsheet. They are dedicated and passionate public servants who have committed their careers to working on behalf of the American people. We owe them a debt of gratitude, not a pink slip.

Signed by:
Dr. Monica Bertagnolli (NIH)
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure (CMS)
Dr. Robert Califf (FDA)
Dr. Mandy Cohen (CDC)
January Contreras (ACF)
Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon (SAMHSA)
Carole Johnson (HRSA)
Dawn O’Connell (ASPR)

I feel like I'm going insane every time I see a media story about DOGE that doesn't also mention the fact that the Government Accountability Office exists and performs the exact function that DOGE pretends to, only in a credibly constitutional, non-partisan, and conflict-of-interest-free manner

In an episode of The Pitt, one of the docs asks an autistic patient how much pain he was in on a scale from 1 to 10 and his response was to ask if 10 was taking into account all of human history or just the most pain he ever experienced. I felt so seen. Like an 8 out of 10.

For 20 yrs, I have fought for our children's rights & am exhausted. Our disabled children don't deserve this. If these bills pass into law, our children will grow up in the same old world that institutionalized disabled people. Please call your Repub reps. (images cred: IG worldsokayestschoolpsych)

Posted on IG by worldsokayestschoolpsych:

I never thought I’d live to see the day when politicians and policymakers would openly describe children with disabilities as a burden. But here we are in 2025, and they’re not even trying to hide it.

Just for example:

    Texas House Bill 2168 proposes a study to identify which parts of federal special education law place an “unreasonable burden” on the state and school districts.

    Texas v. Becerra, a lawsuit from 17 states, argues that disability protections like Section 504 create burdens on states—implying that enforcing civil rights is too much effort.

    Project 2025, a policy blueprint endorsed by conservatives, calls federal education protections a “regulatory burden” that outweighs their cost—essentially saying schools should be freed from having to comply.Posted on IG by worldsokayestschoolpsych:

This isn’t just some one-off bad take. This is a pattern. This is an agenda. The idea that disabled children are burdens to schools, to budgets, to society—that’s what they’re pushing. They’re laying the groundwork to undo everything that made education more inclusive and accessible.

And I take this personally. Because I am a School Psychologist. And I’ll be damned if I sit back and let these people devalue my son and my students.

Children with disabilities don’t hold us back—they make us better. The real burden? The politicians, donors, and lobbyists who think these kids are disposable. The ones who see inclusion as an inconvenience. The ones actively trying to erase decades of progress.

They are scum. They are the burden. They are the problem. And if they have their way, the world will be a worse, crueler, emptier place. But we’re not going to let them win.