There's a leadership vacuum at NIH, too

USAID cuts have painful outcomes for the Ebola outbreak, states sue over a new professional ed loan rule, and other health news

Good morning. Recently, our colleagues in San Francisco convened an impactful Summit that generated significant news. Please continue reading to get the highlights.

How USAID cuts left DRC unprepared for Ebola outbreak

The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently experiencing the third-largest Ebola outbreak in history. For many years, the U.S. provided substantial financial resources to the nation for infectious disease prevention and control initiatives. However, leading up to the outbreak, the Trump administration implemented cuts to this aid. Recent findings indicate that these reductions likely hindered both the identification of the outbreak and the subsequent response to it.

"Politicians control budgets; budgets control lives. That is the painful reality," stated a source familiar with the situation who requested anonymity due to the potential for reprisal.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that an American physician infected in the outbreak zone has been transported to Germany for treatment. Additionally, five others who may have been exposed to the virus, including the physician's family members, are scheduled to follow him to Germany. Furthermore, the U.S. is collaborating with Czech Republic officials to send a seventh individual, also a doctor with high-risk exposure, for monitoring.

Breaking news from the Summit

Another successful Summit has concluded, with several noteworthy moments:

• 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki revealed plans for the company to introduce features allowing customers to integrate medical records into their profiles. This marks the first significant change since Wojcicki's foundation acquired the company.

• In a notable first, former Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne publicly addressed allegations from a newly released book suggesting that he was compelled to resign due to oversight flaws and mismanagement of a controversy.

• The audience was emotionally moved as Jorie Kraus, a young girl born with an extremely rare disorder, received treatment via a novel program that combines genomic sequencing with artificial intelligence to identify suitable medications. "Our child received a second chance at life," remarked her mother, Joanie Kraus.

• Amid considerable upheaval at the FDA, former commissioner David Kessler expressed optimism that the new acting commissioner, Kyle Diamantas, will provide necessary stability. "People must allow him to perform his duties. A collective effort is essential for the agency's success," he articulated.

There's a leadership vacuum at NIH, too

A significant leadership void is evident within health agencies under the Trump administration, with the CDC and FDA lacking appointed directors, the surgeon general position still awaiting confirmation, and the spokesperson for HHS recently resigning. Despite this turmoil, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and his deputy team appear relatively stable. Nevertheless, 15 of the NIH institutes are currently led by acting directors.

"I suspect that there is considerable interference occurring," commented a former high-ranking NIH official who was part of several search committees for institute directors.

States sue over new professional ed loan rule

Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have initiated legal proceedings against the Department of Education, contesting a new rule enacted by the Trump administration that reduces federal loan limits for specific graduate students, specifically those entering health care professions. This rule, finalized recently, allows individuals pursuing "professional" degrees to borrow up to $200,000 total, while other categories remain capped at $100,000. Degrees in advanced nursing, physician assistant training, social work, and other health-related fields have been excluded from this professional designation.

Initially sanctioned by Congress last summer through the One Big Beautiful Bill, the rule's new definition of "professional" degrees was introduced by the Trump administration in the fall. The states argue that this post hoc definition is arbitrary, unlawful, and could exacerbate the ongoing shortage of health care workers.

'At what point are we going to be seen as fully stable and secure people?'

This inquiry comes from Patricia Bencivenga, a special projects manager at the rational prescribing initiative Pharmed Out, as she discussed the perception of women as erratic and unstable throughout various life stages. "From adolescence to pregnancy, postpartum, and now during perimenopause or menopause, there are consistent assumptions about being erratic and untrustworthy," she noted.

Bencivenga, along with her Pharmed Out colleague Adriane Fugh-Berman, engaged in a discussion regarding one specific hormonal transition that has gained considerable attention online recently: perimenopause.