Beth Shaaban
@popneurosci.bsky.social
Population Neuroscientist | Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias | Assistant Professor | OPINIONS ARE MY OWN
What matters most for childhood brain organization? We analyzed 649 variables. The answer: Socioeconomics (SES); with brain patterns pointing at sleep & stress as drivers. Even brain-IQ associations were better explained by SES. In Science today: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
North Oakland. Fifth Ave at North Craig Street. Caller said that they are a resident and that they are upset that the band for the Pittsburgh Marathon is too loud.
I was saddened to see that Wilbert van Panhuis recently passed away. NIAID posted a tribute to him (which bizarrely does not mention that he died). www.niaid.nih.gov/research/dr-... He had been battling glioblastoma for some time. 1/4
Dr. Wilbert van Panhuis
niaid.nih.gov
Here's the full Trump-Vought FY27 budget proposal. www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u... It lists NIH as "-$5 billion" with a top line budget of $41B. The math doesn't math tho bc FY26 budget was $48.7, making $41B a $7.7B (not $5B) cut. Also calls to eliminate NIMHD, FIC & NCCIH.
Wondering what happened to NIH’s Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV) policy? This article reveals a lot about where NIH is and how it got there, starting from politicization of NIH, through fear leading to staff over compliance, ending in harm to science. undark.org/2026/03/30/s... Highlights:
The Future of Sex as a Biological Variable in Health Research
An executive order upended an NIH policy requiring researchers to account for both sexes in preclinical animal studies.
undark.org
NIH leadership wants to strip worker's rights from the majority of scientists on its campuses. But, the NIH does not get to say whether we are a union or not. We do, and we are no strangers to having to fight for our union. Time for a short history lesson. 1/n Disclaimer: all views are my own.
NIH Says It Will No Longer Recognize the Research Fellows’ Union
NIH leadership said the union “should never have been certified,” in an email to the union’s leadership.
notus.org
Very excited to be speaking at the @standupforscience.bsky.social rally in Pittsburgh on Saturday. I am speaking just prior to Dr. Rachel Levine 1/2
The Senate has (finally) voted to reauthorize the small business SBIR/STTR program. Not reauthorized yet, but this was likely the biggest hurdle.
The National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) Advisory Council guides research & care on Alzheimer’s. It didn't meet for a full year under Trump. Before it finally met in Feb 2026, its membership was gutted & replaced, just like ACIP & other councils. www.27unihted.org/napa
Team 1 — 27 UNIHTED
27unihted.org
Roseate Spoonbill in #PerfectLighting. This is my #BirdoftheDay. #spoonbill #löffler #bird #birdsky #light #nature #photography #photographersofBlueSky
Just watched one of my heroes @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social at the People's State of the Union. www.youtube.com/watch?app=de... [Starts around 52:30]
“When we speak up together we are powerful.” @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social a guest of @vanhollen.senate.gov . Strong stuff.
FDA's decision not to accept Moderna's flu vaccine filing has sent shock waves through pharma. "When there’s uncertainty about the path to approval & the reliability of the process, that really has pretty serious consequences,” one player told @jasonmast.bsky.social. www.statnews.com/2026/02/12/f...
FDA’s rejection of Moderna threatens to stifle broader vaccine industry
Experts say the FDA "moved the goalposts" on Moderna, creating "a destructive precedent that will undermine the future of vaccine development" in the U.S.
statnews.com
New commentary in @jamanetworkopen.com! 🚨 I’m diving into Akıncı et al.’s paper on AD brain changes in dementia-free individuals in their 60s. We must understand sex/gender differences in AD biology—especially as current therapeutics may be less effective for women. 🧵
Roughly half a million women in the US exited the workforce in 2025, and 42% of those who voluntarily left cited their caregiving responsibilities as the main reason, according to a recent survey from Catalyst. www.hr-brew.com/stories/2026...
42% of women are leaving the workforce over lack of caregiver support
In a tight employment market, employers that offer less flexibility risk losing working caregivers, according to a Catalyst report.
hr-brew.com
Thank you for your courage and leadership @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social You have been an exemplary government employee, standing up against illegal and immoral actions, but doing so within the constraints of a federal official. You do honor to your oath and to our country. Courage is Contagious
Sheryl Gay Stolberg@sherylnyt.bsky.social · 6mo agoSCOOP: An outspoken critic of Trump who organized the "Bethesda Declaration" is seeking whistleblower protection. NIH program director @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social says the administration retaliated against her by putting her on paid leave. She wants her job back. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
Pittsburgh Parking Chair, this is your moment to shine.
Excited to share our perspective in @NatureAging: "The Population Neuroscience-Dementia Syndemics (PNDS) Framework." By 2050, 68% of dementia cases will be in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We need better models to capture the unique risks faced by these populations—especially women. 🧵
The Nottingham Consensus provides a policy roadmap to reduce dementia risk, the UK's leading cause of death. Recommendations include: 📢 Launch a targeted public health campaign to address key modifiable risk factors 💬 Adapt communication strategies to ensure relevance across diverse communities
The multi-year NIH funding of grants tagged to 2025 allows Russell Vought to reduce the number of grants funded this year because he insists that a 5 years of $$$ has to be committed. This is bad. We could see a cut in actual grants by 1/3 or more. Spread the word. www.statnews.com/2026/01/16/n...
Limit on multiyear funding of NIH grants is a sticking point in Senate budget talks
A clause limiting the use of multiyear NIH grant funding has become a sticking point as the Senate appropriations panel finalizes the HHS spending bill.
statnews.com
NIH budget bill out today. It’s the result of heavy negotiations in Congress over past month+. 🧪 Big pic: NIH budget now is abt more than funding. It’s abt restraining the technical ways NIH is being broken by Proj 2025. And the restraints in the bill are tepid 🤷♂️ Also: watch ICE/DHS budget. 🧵1/
Powerful piece in STAT this morning from some NIH staff members who have resigned www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n... 1/3
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left
“We can no longer lend our credibility to an organization that has lost its integrity,” write four scientists and administrators who recently resigned from the NIH.
statnews.com
Out now!! www.nature.com/articles/s44... Intro to this paper pictured below Huge thanks to collaborators @neilmdavies.bsky.social, @emmylooroll.bsky.social at @uclbrainscience.bsky.social & Sami Heikkinen and Mikko Hiltunen at @uniuef.bsky.social ... #endalz #episky #medsky
NOTE: This news immediately followed a Supreme Court order this morning denying the paper's shadow-docket efforts to block an injunction issued by the Third Circuit that was enforcing an NLRB unfair labor practices order relating to the paper's health insurance plans.
TribLIVE@triblive.bsky.social · 7mo agoPittsburgh Post-Gazette announces closure
More news (not good) from NIH The renewal request from National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke Director Walter Koroshetz has been denied. I guess the NIH_leadership™ needed another position to fill with their time-tested recruitment process.
The Senate version of the NIH appropriations bill has language that limits the use of multiyear/upfront funding. Please call your Senators and Representatives to make sure it is in the final bill. We must stop the brain drain in our research workforce before it's too late.
This substantial drop in studies funded is the abrupt transition to multiyear/upfront funding at work. This policy is incredibly damaging to the scientific workforce. It is driving people out of science, especially the next generation of researchers.
