Happy New Year 2025

Tag: medical

Assoc of American Med Schools chief says medical research needs ‘regulatory relief’

While the debate over President Donald Trump’s cuts to facilities and administrative costs associated with federally funded research grants rages on, one expert in the field of medicine says he sees a clear way forward.

Dr. David Skorton, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, has had a wide-ranging career spanning government, higher education and medicine. He now runs a national association that oversees all Medical Doctorate-granting schools in the country, and about 500 academic health systems teaching hospitals. Skorton told Fox News Digital that while he does not agree with Trump’s blanket cuts, the current status quo needs changing. He cited over-regulation as a reason why facilities and administrative costs have gotten so “wildly expensive.”

TRUMP NOMINEES DEBUT NEW SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL AIMED AT SPURRING SCIENTIFIC DISCOURSE, INCREASING TRANSPARENCY

He also said that transparency from research institutions could help create better awareness of how taxpayer dollars are being used to support those institutions that have become the bane of critics who say they are stockpiling taxpayer dollars for their own benefit.

Dr. David Skorton, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, which represents all the MD-granting accredited medical schools in the country, and about 500 academic health systems teaching hospitals. (Fox News)

“In some cases, more than one agency will develop regulations, and the researchers have to answer to all of those different agency regulations. We should be able to harmonize those things and come out with a more thoughtful approach to reducing some of the regulatory burden,” Skorton said. He added that, in turn, researchers will be able to spend more time doing what they do best, research, which in the long run will mean greater results for the public.

“It would also mean that the costs would go down because the additional personnel, the additional things that are necessary to keep track of things for these regulations, that would also go down,” Skorton pointed out.

JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ORDER LIMITING ‘INDIRECT’ NIH RESEARCH COSTS AFTER PUBLIC OUTCRY

Skorton said that the impact of reducing over-regulation will be two-fold: it will improve the current research environment and show that there is room for collaboration to reduce overhead costs while not threatening new research. In particular, he pointed to research involving human or animal subjects, which Skorton said is often riddled with regulatory requirements that, while important, could be streamlined.

The National Institutes of Health is facing a shakeup with the new administration, worrying some about how it may impact critical aspects of public health. (Fox News)

Skorton added that the AAMC was “very hungry” to work with the administration on improving this framework, noting that “we’re not here to claim that the status quo is perfect, and we want to defend it, but the idea of very quickly knocking down the facilities and administrative costs to what felt like an arbitrary number to many of us, 15%, will cause research to be reduced.”

The AAMC president said there is an onus on research institutions as well to better educate folks about where their taxpayer dollars are going when they are utilized by federally funded research programs.

JUDGE ORDERS TEMPORARY REVERSAL OF TRUMP ADMIN’S FREEZE ON FOREIGN AID

“For every dollar that we get at universities, medical schools, et cetera, for research from the NIH or some other science agency, for every dollar another half dollar, roughly, is contributed by the institution,” Skorton pointed out. “That’s something that maybe people don’t realize, and why would they, because we have to be more clear in making that visible, that we already contribute a lot to the research.”

In fiscal year 2023, the NIH spent around $35 billion across roughly 50,000 grants that went to research institutions, such as universities and hospitals. Of that $35 billion, according to the Trump administration, $9 billion was allocated for “indirect costs” that cover expenses related to depreciation on buildings, equipment, capital improvements, interest on debt associated with certain buildings, and operations and maintenance expenses. (iStock)

Fox News Digital spoke to medical experts who have supported Trump’s blanket cut to administrative and facilities costs, and they argue that reducing this price burden on the federal government will increase the availability of new research grants, while getting rid of financial bloat that universities have been able to take advantage of at the taxpayers’ expense.

One of the doctors who shared their thoughts, Dr. Erika Schwartz, echoed calls for reform to the current structure, similar to Skorton.

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“While infrastructure support is necessary, there’s room for more efficient cost management. A reformed funding model could redirect more resources to direct research activities while maintaining essential support services,” Schwartz said. “This could potentially increase the number of funded research projects and accelerate medical breakthroughs, ultimately benefiting patients more directly.”

February 14, 2025
Medical experts explain why Trump’s cap on NIH research funding is a good idea

The Trump administration’s decision to slash overhead costs linked to federally funded research has sparked an immense backlash. But some doctors are praising the move, suggesting it will help “optimize” how taxpayer dollars are used when it comes to scientific research.

A new rule from the Trump administration that went into effect Monday, capped facilities and administrative costs, also known as “indirect costs,” at 15% for federally funded research grants provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). When a grant is awarded to a scientist by the NIH, an additional percentage, on top of the allocated research funding, goes to the facility housing their work to cover these “indirect costs.”

According to an announcement about the new funding cap from the Trump administration, that percentage has historically been around 27% to 28% for each grant. But in some cases, negotiated rates can be as high as 70 to 90%, according to doctors who spoke with Fox News Digital.

UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR HAILS THAT SCIENCE ‘THRIVED’ UNDER HITLER IN ATTACK ON TRUMP’S NIH CUTS

“If that money is cut to 15%, what that means is there’s actually going to be more grants given out to do science. You get more money back to the NIH to give out more science,” said Dr. Vinay Prasad, a hematologist-oncologist and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.

“It’s about time,” said Dr. Erika Schwartz, the founder of Evolved Science, which is a concierge medical practice in New York City with more than 1,500 active patients.

“While infrastructure support is necessary, there’s room for more efficient cost management. A reformed funding model could redirect more resources to direct research activities while maintaining essential support services. This could potentially increase the number of funded research projects and accelerate medical breakthroughs, ultimately benefiting patients more directly.”

HHS WILL REEVALUATE PROGRAMS, REGULATIONS TO ENSURE TAXPAYER FUNDS ARE NOT PAYING FOR ELECTIVE ABORTIONS

Dr. Erika Schwartz is the founder of a New York City-based practice, Evolved Science, which utilizes new therapies to improve patient results.

Prasad posited that universities and research institutions have negotiated “sweetheart deals” that allow them to rake in funds that sometimes aren’t even necessary to the research at hand. To demonstrate his point, he explained the numbers for a research institution that has negotiated a 57% rate for indirect costs:

“Let’s say I get $100,000 [for a research project] and I need a laboratory… I get $100,000, and then they still get the $57,000 to the university that goes to the administrators, and presumably the fact that I have a lab bench, and the lights, etc. But now let’s say I do the same $100,000 project, but my project is we’re going to analyze genomic sequences from an online repository. So, I just have a laptop… but they still get the $57,000 even though there’s literally no space being given to this person. There’s no bench, there’s no desk, there’s nothing.”

Prasad added that another “fundamental problem” with these negotiated rates is that the money is not formally budgeted, so “the American people don’t know where that money is going.”

DOGE CANCELS FUNDING FOR FAUCI MUSEUM EXHIBIT

“A famous researcher once said to me, an NIH dollar is more valuable than any other dollar because they can use it for whatever purpose they want. Although, nominally, they’re supposed to use it to keep the lights on and, you know, make the buildings run, but that’s not always the case,” he said.

Dr. Vinay Prasad is a hematologist-oncologist and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.

David Whelan, a former healthcare writer for Forbes who has spent time working in hospitals and now works in the healthcare consulting space, echoed this concern in a post on X that claimed universities have used indirect research grant payments “to pocket money.”

“Indirects are just ways for wealthy academic hospitals to pocket money that their investigators won and then create slush for those who are incapable of getting funded on their own,” Whelan wrote. “It’s a huge grift and great place for cuts.”

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The Trump administration’s cap on indirect funding associated with NIH research grants was immediately challenged in court with lawsuits from 22 Democratic state attorneys general and a cohort of universities, which argued the move will “devastate critical public health research at universities and research institutions in the United States.”

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a $9 billion spending cut in response to a new mandate from the Trump administration. (Alamy/Getty Images)

“Once again, President Trump and Elon Musk are acting in direct violation of the law. In this case, they are causing irreparable damage to ongoing research to develop cures and treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, ALS, Diabetes, Mental Health disorders, opioid abuse, genetic diseases, rare diseases, and other diseases and conditions affecting American families,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee. “The Trump Administration is attempting to steal critical funds promised to scientific research institutions funded by the NIH, despite an explicit legal prohibition against this action.”

In response to the lawsuit from Democratic state attorneys general, a federal judge imposed a temporary restraining order prohibiting NIH agencies from taking any steps to implement, apply or enforce the new rule.

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The judge’s order also required Trump administration agencies that are impacted by the new rule to file reports within 24 hours to confirm the steps they are taking to comply with the ruling. Meanwhile, an in-person hearing date on the matter has been scheduled for Feb. 21.

February 11, 2025
Civil rights officials probe four U.S. medical schools over antisemitism

The Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced investigations into four medical schools over alleged antisemitic incidents during their 2024 commencement ceremonies.

While HHS did not identify the schools subjected to these investigations, the Wall Street Journal reported that Harvard, Columbia, Brown and Johns Hopkins medical schools were the targets. The investigations will come after a school year riddled with what critics have described as antisemitic incidents after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

“After October 7, we saw Jew-hatred explode not just on college campuses and city streets, but in the medical profession. This has caused a lot of concern that anti-Jewish bias in medicine endangers the lives of Jewish patients – and these concerns have not been conclusively addressed to date,” said Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at The Lawfare Project, which provides pro bono legal services to protect the civil rights of the Jewish community. “The investigations announced by HHS are a crucial first step towards addressing these concerns.”

ISRAELI HARVARD STUDENT SPEAKS OUT ON ANTISEMITISM BEHIND LATEST SETTLEMENT

Protesters demonstrate near Columbia University on Feb. 2, 2024 in New York City. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Harvard’s 2024 commencement ceremony was ridiculed over the school’s decision to tap media CEO Maria Ressa as the school’s commencement speaker following a year of incidents that included an assault against an Israeli student by pro-Palestinian protesters, scores of alleged antisemitic displays and chants, including some that praised Hamas, and numerous civil rights allegations from Jewish students. In addition, Harvard was accused by its own students of turning a blind eye to antisemitism.

Ressa, not long after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, penned an op-ed comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, and during her commencement address complained that she had been attacked over her pro-Palestinain advocacy “by power and money because they want power and money,” which people construed as promoting antisemitic stereotypes. Ressa was also accused of praising pro-Hamas demonstrations happening on campus during her address.

JEWISH COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER VOWING TO DEPORT PRO-HAMAS ACTIVISTS WITH STUDENT VISAS

The commencement ceremony was allegedly so bad that a campus Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi felt compelled to confront Ressa during the event and subsequently walked offstage. According to media reports, Zarchi later described the ceremony as a “really vile program.”

Former Harvard University President Larry Summers claimed that the school has not been “swift” enough in combating the antisemitism spreading throughout campus. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Contributor)

Harvard Medical School spokesperson Ekaterina Pesheva said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the school “condemns antisemitism and remains committed to combating all forms of discrimination and harassment.” Pesheva added that Harvard would “continue to advance our efforts to ensure that all community members feel they belong” and said the school is currently reviewing HHS’s civil rights request and will cooperate to address the agency’s questions regarding the 2024 commencement ceremony.

Columbia, Johns Hopkins and Brown similarly faced a slew of complaints over alleged antisemitism on their campuses and the universities’ failure to address them. The environment at these schools was so hostile, reportedly, that some Jewish students who were admitted to these Ivy League schools decided to go somewhere else. A rabbi at Columbia went so far as to tell Jewish students to leave campus for their safety.

President Donald Trump has moved quickly to challenge antisemitism in the U.S., with news of the investigations coming the same day the Trump administration’s Department of Justice announced the formation of a multi-agency task force to combat antisemitism. News of the probe also came after Trump signed an executive order several days after taking office seeking to combat antisemitism, particularly on college campuses.

“HHS has been so quick to implement President Trump’s Executive Order is tacit recognition of the failure on the part of these universities to address antisemitism, despite several lawsuits and congressional investigations,” Filitti said. “The Biden Administration, for all its rhetoric, failed to do nearly as much as President Trump has in only one week to address Jew-hatred, and we now have a President clearly willing to use the power of the executive branch to take concrete action to stamp out antisemitism and protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans – and all Americans.”

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Witnesses from various universities testify during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government hearing on antisemitism on college campuses at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 15, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

In addition to facing potential consequences over the school’s failure to address antisemitism on their campuses, Trump has also threatened to withhold millions of federal dollars in research grants if they do not comply with new orders quashing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“Antisemitism has no place in American society, least of all in medical schools,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of the nonprofit Do No Harm, which seeks to root out identity politics in medical education. “Medical schools, especially those who push a DEI agenda have become hotbeds of antisemitism, the department of Health and Human Services is right to raise concerns about blatantly antisemitic protests.”

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On Monday, the Department of Education also launched a slew of additional civil rights investigations into Columbia, Northwestern, the University of California – Berkeley, the University of Minnesota and Portland State universities.

Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard, Columbia, Brown and Johns Hopkins for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

February 6, 2025
National Women Physicians Day 2025 in the US: Know Date & Significance of the Day That Honours the Contributions of Women in the Medical Field

Every year, National Women Physicians Day is observed on February 3 in the United States of America with various events and programs. This annual event honours the contributions and achievements of women in the medical field. National Women Physicians Day also marks the birthday of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. Blackwell is said to have broken gender barriers in medicine, paving the way for future generations of women physicians. World Cancer Day 2025 Date and Theme: Know the History and Significance of the Day That Raises Awareness About Cancer and Encourages Its Prevention.

The annual event recognises the efforts of women who have made significant contributions to medicine, research, and healthcare. In this article, let’s know more about the National Women Physicians Day 2025 date and the significance of the annual event.

National Women Physicians Day 2025

National Women Physicians Day 2025 falls on Monday, February 3.

National Women Physicians Day Significance

National Women Physicians Day serves to encourage young girls and women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), especially in medicine. The annual event in the US highlights the ongoing challenges faced by women in medicine, such as gender bias, pay gaps, and leadership representation. This annual event also remembers Dr. Blackwell, who became the first woman to earn an M.D. degree in the US graduating from Geneva Medical College in New York in 1849.

Blackwell co-founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, providing medical training and healthcare for women. On this day, hospitals and medical organisations host events like workshops, seminars and conferences to honour women physicians and highlight their contributions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 04, 2025 07:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

February 4, 2025
Marijuana Awareness Month 2025 Dates and History: Know Significance of the Observance That Raises Awareness About the Benefits of Medical Marijuana

Marijuana Awareness Month is observed throughout the month of February. Marijuana Awareness Month 2025 will be observed from Saturday, February 1, to Friday, February 28. The observance aims to raise awareness about the benefits of medical marijuana. It also aims to highlight the negative effects of the use of marijuana. According to research and studies conducted in the US, the use of marijuana is on the rise, and as millions of people are using it, the illicit drug has become the most widely used one in the country. The recent legalisation of marijuana in some US states has given rise to the myth that the drug is harmless, thereby increasing its popularity. While there are several negative effects of using marijuana, there are many health benefits too, and the observance aims to educate people on the advantages. 4/20 Day Date & Significance: What Is ‘Weed Day’? History, Origin and 420 ‘Cannabis Culture’ – Everything You Need To Know.

Marijuana Awareness Month Dates

Marijuana Awareness Month 2025 will be observed from Saturday, February 1, to Friday, February 28.

Marijuana Awareness Month History

Marijuana Awareness Month was initiated with the aim of increasing public knowledge about the effects, benefits, and uses of cannabis. It was started by activists who realised that there was a need to educate people on the topic. They aimed to bust the myths associated with marijuana and provide facts to the people. Over the years, it gained traction and was observed by many organisations and communities in the US.

Marijuana Awareness Month Significance

Marijuana Awareness Month is a very significant observance as it not only highlights the negative effects of using marijuana; it also highlights the several health benefits. Marijuana helps patients with PTSD to overcome their triggers. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) happens when a person is triggered by a stressful or terrifying event or experience. It also helps improve anxiety and mood disorders. Patients with such issues often turn to antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, which can be harmful. A safer option is marijuana. In addition, it also helps cancer patients fight the side effects of treatments like radiation and chemotherapy. It also helps with health problems like back pain, muscle spasm, ALS, and more.

There are many misconceptions surrounding marijuana or cannabis. Hence, the observance is important as it provides accurate information about marijuana. The main focus of the day is to clear up misconceptions, focus on educating people about the benefits, and help people make informed decisions about their health. It is also a time to highlight the importance of response and safe marijuana use and educate people on the proper dosages and risks. The month-long observance is not only about celebrating but also making major strides toward a more accepting and informed society. Fact Check: How Dangerous is Cannabis? Four Myths Exposed.

The observance is marked by educational workshops and activities, events, and raising awareness on social media. Marijuana Awareness Month plays a crucial role in promoting safe and responsible use and understanding the broader implications of cannabis in society.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 29, 2025 04:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

January 29, 2025
New York City Mayor Eric Adams limits public schedule for ‘routine medical tests’

Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams will have a limited public schedule this week, with his office saying that he will be undergoing medical tests.

“Over the last few days, Mayor Adams hasn’t been feeling his best,” New York City Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy said in a statement. Levy did not specify a condition or medical concern.

“As a result, this week, the mayor will have a number of doctors’ appointments and undergo routine medical tests,” Levy continued. “While Mayor Adams will continue to communicate constantly with staff and ensure city business continues undeterred, during this time, the mayor will have a limited public schedule.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference outside Gracie Mansion, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in New York. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

Adams’ office said that New Yorkers City Hall would continue its everyday functions as Adams focuses on his health this week.

“New Yorkers can rest assured that their local government will continue to deliver for them every day as our committed workforce at City Hall, and more than 300,000 employees at dozens of city agencies, continue to show up on the most important issues,” Levy said. “Like every other New Yorker, Mayor Adams has a right to privacy when it comes to personal matters, but we will continue to communicate in the unlikely event he is unable to fully discharge his duties on any particular day.”

January 27, 2025