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The Department of Health and Human Services is terminating a National Institutes of Health grant program that supports students from marginalized backgrounds in the biomedical sciences. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the elimination of the program — the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program — in a document posted to the Federal Register Monday. Kennedy cited the program’s failure to comply with the Trump administration’s executive orders that prevent federal agencies from supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion-related activities. (Paulus, 8/25)

More on funding cuts and DEI —

The UCLA and UC San Francisco medical schools have been given two weeks to submit years of internal documents to a Republican-led congressional committee about alleged antisemitism and how the schools responded, widening the federal government’s far-reaching investigations into the University of California. The demands from House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) cited reports of Jewish people “experiencing hostility and fear” at each campus and that universities had not proved that they “meaningfully responded.” (Kaleem, 8/25)

When Columbia University struck a deal with the Trump administration last month, the agreement came with the promise that the financial lifeblood of scientific research would start to flow again. But that was only part of the story. While hundreds of millions of dollars in frozen federal research funding has been restored, a smaller subset of grants in areas that are out of favor with the White House, including transgender health, have not. Columbia’s School of Public Health and medical center remain in austerity mode, with fewer slots for Ph.D. students and hiring delays caused by the original suspension of funding. (Otterman, 8/25)

Terence Tao, one of the world’s foremost mathematicians, who is often called the “Mozart of Math,” would rather not talk politics. “I do scientific research,” Tao said. “I vote, I sign a petition, but I don’t consider myself an activist.” But after the July suspension of $584 million in federal grants at UCLA, which he joined as a faculty member at age 20, Tao said he feels forced to speak out against what he views as “indiscriminate” cuts to science that could drive scientists away from the U.S., including himself, if trends continue. (Bush, 8/26)

���ϳԹ��� News: Blue States That Sued Kept Most CDC Grants, While Red States Feel Brunt Of Trump Clawbacks
The Trump administration’s cuts to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of a state, according to a ���ϳԹ��� News analysis. Democratic-led states and select blue-leaning cities fought back in court and saw money for public health efforts restored — while GOP-led states sustained big losses. The Department of Health and Human Services in late March canceled nearly 700 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants nationwide — together worth about $11 billion. (Larweh and Pradhan and Bichell, 8/26)

On cuts to FEMA and public radio —

More than 180 current and former employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency published a letter Monday warning that debilitating cuts to the agency charged with handling federal disaster response risks a catastrophe like the one seen after Hurricane Katrina. “Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration,” the letter states. (Aoun Angueira, 8/25)

Unalaska, Alaska, is home to about 4,200 year-round residents, but the town also boasts the largest fishing port in the United States by volume, and its population swells with seasonal workers in the high season. Even in the age of cellphones and Wi-Fi, residents said radios here were constantly tuned to KUCB, which brings them local news and emergency alerts as well as City Council meetings, high school basketball games and public health programs on topics ranging from the seasonal flu to suicide prevention. “None of that is political or trying to hurt Republicans,” said Greg Walter, a nurse practitioner at the only medical facility on the island. “It’s a necessary resource for a small, isolated community.” Mr. Walter said he relied on KUCB having him on the air to share medical advice to prevent conditions that are hard to treat on the island. (Mineiro, 8/26)

Farm Action, a nonpartisan, farmer-led watchdog organization that advocates for accountability from the government and large corporations within the agricultural sector, rated the contents of a recent leaked draft of the MAHA strategy a "D+," saying, "It recognizes some of the right priorities and even overlaps with our recommendations in places, but the execution is timid and avoids the structural reforms needed to truly deliver on the MAHA Commission's own diagnosis of the problem." (Mordowanec, 8/25)

Executives at big processed-food makers are trying to determine how much of what Kennedy and MAHA want will actually happen, and how it could affect their bottom lines. Their challenge is to balance his push for what he sees as healthier food with their need to make products that consumers will buy. Some companies have assembled special teams to navigate MAHA, drawing up lists and “heat maps” to track ingredients coming under scrutiny, and assessing which ones they might have to remove or label. Executives have compared dealing with MAHA to battling the mythical Hydra—cut off one head and two more spring up. (Newman and Tucker-Smith, 8/25)

Millions of Americans might soon have mail from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The health secretary—who fiercely opposes industrial, ultraprocessed foods—now wants to send people care packages full of farm-fresh alternatives. They will be called “MAHA boxes.” For the most part, MAHA boxes remain a mystery. They are mentioned in a leaked draft of a much-touted report that the Trump administration is set to release about improving children’s health. Reportedly, the 18-page document—which promises studies on the health effects of electromagnetic radiation and changes in how the government regulates sunscreen, among many other things—includes this: “MAHA Boxes: USDA will develop options to get whole, healthy food to SNAP participants.” In plain English, kids on food stamps might be sent veggies. (Florko, 8/20)

An avid consumer of dietary supplements, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has surrounded himself in part with senior staff members, advisers and health influencers who have promoted everything from weight loss pills to capsules of desiccated organ meat. But that hasn’t led to gains in Washington for the multibillion-dollar industry — yet. (Khimm, 8/26)

TikTok’s favorite birth control method is more like no birth control at all. On the Gen-Z-beloved app ― approximately 60% of its users are in their teens and 20s ― “natural” birth control is having a moment: Terms like “birth control natural alternatives” are trending, with wellness influencers encouraging other women to quit birth control and track their fertility cycles naturally (or with apps) and use herbal supplements to avoid getting pregnant. (Wong, 8/22)

People who believe embryos are children oppose IVF because it can involve the discarding of some embryos, which they say is akin to abortion. “The popularity of IVF creates a dilemma for Republican politicians who have had anti-choice organizations as a key part of their constituency for their whole careers,” said Sean Tipton, chief advocacy and policy officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. (Vollers, 8/26)

In case you missed it —

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today launched MAHA in Action—a dynamic new platform showcasing the powerful federal initiatives and state-led reforms advancing President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda. (8/18)

Almost 2 in 3 physicians say there aren't enough qualified doctors to fill openings in their area, in another sign of how the health care workforce is straining to meet patient demand. (Bettelheim, 8/26)

In other health care industry news —

Willows, Calif.-based Glenn Medical Center plans to close its emergency department, with the hospital closing shortly after, following CMS’ plan to revoke its critical access hospital designation, effective Oct. 21. ... “Our emergency department has been a lifeline for Willows and surrounding communities, and we did everything in our power to appeal CMS’s decision. While we cannot change this outcome, our priority now is to support our community and staff through this transition. We are actively working to connect affected hospital staff with other good employment opportunities and are committed to keeping our patients informed of next steps.” (Ashley, 8/25)

Summa Health will no longer schedule appointments for patients with out-of-network or non-contracted health plans, effective Sept. 1. The new policy applies to walk-in urgent care, laboratory and radiology services, and appointments with Summa Health Medical Group, a physician network for more than 30 specialties. It does not apply to emergency services. Akron, Ohio-based Summa contracts with more than 40 health plans, including Aetna, Cigna, Humana and United Healthcare. (Hudson, 8/25)

According to a recent report from Gibbins Advisors, the 79 health care bankruptcy filings in 2023 and 57 in 2024 surpassed the annual average of 42 for the previous four years. While senior care and hospital bankruptcies surged past typical levels in the first quarter, overall health care bankruptcies dropped markedly in the three months through July. While the tally of filings in 2025 has remained on the worrying trend of the last few years, this year has stood out because of the scale of the companies failing to meet their financial obligations. (Cameron, 8/26)

The healthcare industry is once again recalibrating after President Donald Trump revoked a Biden-era executive order aimed at limiting hospital consolidation. While some health system leaders see the move as a green light for growth and regional alignment, others remain skeptical, warning that systemic challenges — from payer leverage to uneven regulation — still pose roadblocks to meaningful change. (Condon and Gooch, 8/25)

A study conducted in three US nursing homes highlights the challenge of reducing environmental contamination with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). The study by researchers with the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center and the University of California Irvine School of Medicine, published last week in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, involved implementation of routine bathing/showering with chlorhexidine and nasal iodophor to reduce MDRO colonization in residents. (Dall, 8/25)

���ϳԹ��� News: An Insurer Agreed To Cover Her Surgery. A Politician’s Nudge Got The Bills Paid
For the most part, Keyanna Jones and her husband thought they knew what to expect when their daughter Chloë had eye surgery last fall. Even Chloë, who was in kindergarten, had a good understanding of how things would go that day. Before the procedure, a hospital worker gave her a coloring book that explained the steps of the surgery — a procedure to correct a condition that could have eventually interfered with her vision. (Anthony, 8/26)

In pharma and tech news —

Medtech company Terumo Corp. announced plans Monday to acquire OrganOx, which sells a device that preserves donor livers, for about $1.5 billion. The deal marks Terumo’s debut into the organ transplantation field. The companies have not disclosed when the transaction is expected to close. OrganOx’s metra device pumps donor livers with oxygenated blood, medications and nutrients at body temperature to simulate natural conditions. (Dubinsky, 8/25)

AbbVie Inc. agreed to buy an experimental depression treatment from Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals Inc. for up to $1.2 billion in a deal that highlights the drug industry’s growing interest in next-generation psychedelic compounds. Under the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will acquire Gilgamesh’s lead drug bretisilocin, which is in development for major depressive disorder, according to a statement. Gilgamesh will spin its other programs off into a new entity called Gilgamesh Pharma Inc. (Muller, 8/25)

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are collaborating on legislation to lower market barriers for new sunscreens, in an effort to bring the United States in line with other countries that have seen advancements in sun protection. (DeGroot, 8/25)

Anti-sunscreen sentiment is cropping up on social media with alarming frequency. Recent research has suggested that Gen-Zers are particularly susceptible to sunscreen myths. Last year, a study from the American Academy of Dermatology found that 28% of 18- to 26-year-olds believe that getting a tan is more important than the risk of skin cancer, with 37% admitting to only using sunscreen when they’re nagged by others to do so. And new data from health insurance provider Vitality found that 18% of Gen Z respondents believed that you don’t need sun protection if you tan easily. (Rosseinsky, 8/24)

On-site at the 2025 US Open, fans can visit the La Roche-Posay Sun Safety Booth at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for complimentary sunscreen samples, free skin checks from board-certified healthcare providers, sun-safety education from dermatology experts and interactive tennis games. (Ritter, 8/25)

In other health and wellness news —

Scientists have dreamed for centuries about using animal organs to treat ailing humans. In recent years, those efforts have begun to bear fruit: Researchers have begun transplanting the hearts and kidneys of genetically modified pigs into patients, with varying degrees of success. But lungs are notoriously difficult to transplant, even from human to human, and mortality rates are high. Now, in the first procedure of its kind, Chinese scientists on Monday reported transplanting a lung from a pig into a brain-dead man. (Caryn Rabin, 8/25)

Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) was tied to an increased risk of subsequent brain cancer, a retrospective study of more than 150,000 adults showed. Malignant brain tumor incidence was 0.6% among civilians who had experienced moderate-to-severe TBI and 0.4% in those with mild TBI or healthy controls, reported Saef Izzy, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and co-authors. (George, 8/25)

One in 33 babies in the United States are born with birth defects. But a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is raising awareness of ways to lower that risk. The study points to five risk factors that public health officials — and, in some cases, women themselves — can do something about: obesity, diabetes, smoking exposure, food insecurity and low levels of folate (an essential vitamin that helps the body produce cells). (Bendix, 8/26)

A large six-year trial found that older adults who combined a Mediterranean diet with regular exercise were far less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who only changed their diet. Researchers from Harvard and 23 Spanish hospitals studied more than 4,700 adults aged 55 to 75 with metabolic syndrome and excess weight over six years. (El-Naas, 8/25)

Closely following the Mediterranean diet lowered the risk of dementia by at least 35% in people with two copies of the APOE4 gene, a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s, according to a new study. (LaMotte, 8/25)

People who live with or handle pet bearded dragons are at continued risk for Salmonella infection, conclude the authors of a study on a 2024 outbreak published last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and federal and local health authorities investigated a 27-case, 14-state outbreak in 2024 caused by reptile-transmitted Salmonella Cotham. They also referenced a 2012-14 outbreak of 160 cases in 35 states caused by a genetically related strain. (Van Beusekom, 8/25)

Cannabis products containing high concentrations of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the main psychoactive compound in marijuana -- were linked to psychosis, schizophrenia, and addiction, a systematic review found. Across 99 studies examining the effects of high-concentration THC products on mental health outcomes, 70% of the nontherapeutic studies (i.e., those not attempting to treat a medical condition or symptom) showed an unfavorable association with psychosis or schizophrenia and 75% found a relationship to cannabis use disorder (CUD). (Firth, 8/25)

In other mental health news —

Half of college students rate their mental health as fair, poor, or terrible, according to a recent survey from The Steve Fund, a nonprofit that focused on the mental health of young people of color. The survey also found about 40% of students were “very or extremely stressed about maintaining their mental health” while in college. About 1 in 5 students said the same about connecting with other students and finding their niche in college. (McLean, 8/26)

A worldwide study involving more than 100,000 participants has found that receiving a smartphone before the age of 13 is linked with weaker mental health and lower overall wellbeing in early adulthood. The research, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, reported that individuals aged 18 to 24 who first owned a smartphone at 12 or younger were more likely to experience suicidal thoughts, heightened aggression, feelings of detachment from reality, difficulties with emotional control, and diminished self-worth. (8/25)

A legislative audit has uncovered a troubling gap in Utah’s mental health care system, leaving families desperate for treatment for their children. The audit found that nearly 70% of providers listed in insurance directories are not actually accepting new patients. Lawmakers call them “ghost providers.” “They called up 180 providers in insurance directories and found out 69% of them were ghost providers, meaning they’re not accepting patients,” Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, said. “That’s a false promise.” (Harrison, 8/26)

A study of how three popular artificial intelligence chatbots respond to queries about suicide found that they generally avoid answering questions that pose the highest risk to the user, such as for specific how-to guidance. But they are inconsistent in their replies to less extreme prompts that could still harm people. The study in the medical journal Psychiatric Services, published Tuesday by the American Psychiatric Association, found a need for “further refinement” in OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude. (Ortutay and O’Brien, 8/26)

Though no one in the group is a mental health professional or has had training in the field, their personal experiences have allowed them to build a community. More than that, it’s tapped into a transformative idea: People often underestimate just how much they will enjoy deep conversations with other people. “Not because they fail to appreciate that having a meaningful conversation is something that they will enjoy personally,” said Nicholas Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago. “But because they underestimate how positively other people will respond to it. We underestimate how much power we actually have to make ourselves and other people feel better — notably better — by connecting with them.” (Devlin, 8/26)

On mental health care for first responders —

The Marietta Police Department recently started having officers take part in a horse therapy program to help their mental health and improve policing. (Mador, 8/24)

Paul Gesi, a Northglenn police officer, died by suicide earlier this month after a long battle with PTSD. "Within probably the past year we started to see it weighing on him heavier as he would come home. and then it really got 'bad' really within the past two months," said Emily Gesi. "We saw signs of anxiety and depression. (We) never saw our father bring work home, but a little bit towards the end he started to talk about it a little bit more, about how he was starting to feel the darkness that he has been dealing with in his 41 years of being an officer." (Vidal, 8/25)

If you need help —

A federal judge on Monday denied a request by a Maine family planning provider to block the law that prevents such providers from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for a year if they also offer abortions. (Hellmann, 8/26)

Illinois hospital staff will soon be required by law to refer parents of severely premature infants to services that can help prevent years of intensive and expensive therapy later, when the children are older. The new law follows reporting from The Hechinger Report that exposed how hospitals often fail to connect many eligible parents to these opportunities for their children after they leave neonatal intensive care units. (8/25)

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo is recommending against the use of dental amalgam for routine fillings, citing potential risks from mercury exposure. Dental amalgam is a mixture of metals, roughly 50% elemental (liquid) mercury by weight, combined with a powdered alloy of silver, tin and copper. Mercury binds the alloy particles into a strong, durable, and solid filling, according to the FDA. (Mayer, 8/25)

Since last year, ProPublica has been reporting on the troubled system for death investigations in Idaho, where a person’s cause of death is determined by elected coroners with no oversight or state support and, often, little training or education. The Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations in January sent the state’s coroners a formal survey about their work, drawing responses from just over half. The office told coroners that it wouldn’t attach names to their responses when it made the survey results public, and some gave unvarnished critiques. “The coroner system in Idaho is broken and a joke,” one wrote. They also took the opportunity to plead for help, for changes they believe could transform Idaho into a place where death investigations consistently meet national standards. (Dutton, 8/26)

Bernie Rogoff is a Korean War-era Army veteran who’s spent his life advocating for fellow service members. This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. The 95-year-old led the push for Denver’s modern Veterans Affairs medical center, which opened in 2018 to serve Colorado’s nearly 400,000 veterans. Rogoff still calls it one of his proudest achievements. He remembers it finally felt like “someone is listening.” (McKinnon, 8/26)

As fentanyl propelled overdose deaths to ever more alarming numbers several years ago, public health officials throughout the United States stepped up a blunt, pragmatic response. Desperate to save lives, they tried making drug use safer. ... Now, across the country, states and communities are turning away from harm reduction strategies. (Hoffman, 8/25)

Unless the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress act quickly, millions of working Americans could lose access to their health insurance at the end of this year. Among the most affected will be small businesses and middle-income earners — many of whom, ironically, live in congressional districts that vote Republican. (Mary Ellen Klas, 8/25)

“Our research … [has] been demolished with a sharpie,” said a researcher we asked about how federal funding changes have affected their work. As soon as a list of prohibited words from the National Science Foundation was leaked in February, it became clear U.S. scientific research had entered a new era. Whereas in the past federal agencies had supported expanding research to include marginalized populations, both as researchers and as participants in research studies, suddenly it seemed that work was likely to be at risk. (Arghavan Salles, Tiffany Do and Emily Mastej, 8/26)

Who cares if we are sicker, so long as we look good? That’s the gist of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-science approach to making America healthy. Kennedy poo-poos GLP-1s, not because they do not work for weight loss and diabetes, but because exercise and clean eating are more natural. He has suggested that eating glysophate-free grain could reduce eczema symptoms and that “organic,” cellphone-free “wellness farms” are suitable for people suffering from addiction or who take A.D.H.D. medication. (Tressie McMillan Cottom, 8/26)

At the Boston University School of Public Health, we took an unconventional approach to combat weight-loss supplement misinformation — not by designing public service announcements or campaigns, but by partnering with the very creators who shape the online infoscape. The idea was simple: If public health wants to compete with misinformation, it must engage social media strategically and partner with those shaping the conversation. (Monica L. Wang and Matt Motta, 8/26)

Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it will wind down funding for mRNA vaccine development, including new vaccines against COVID-19, seasonal flu, bird flu, and HIV. The move amounts to 22 projects being eliminated that total nearly $500 million, according to HHS. This retreat from one of the most powerful, proven scientific weapons the nation has to fight pandemics, biological weapons, and common infectious diseases is a stunningly bad idea. (Ashish K. Jha, 8/25)

I’ve spent more than a decade in hospice care, sitting at the bedsides of people facing the final days of their lives. I’ve held hands in hospital rooms, in tents, in prison cells, and in homes that barely qualify as such. And over time, I’ve come to see that dying in America is not just a medical event — it’s a mirror. It reflects everything we’ve failed to do for the living. (Christopher M. Smith, 8/26)