Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Approves New Hires To Its Fellowship Disease Detectives Program
The Department of Health and Human Services has granted an exemption to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to hire a new class of its disease detectives, multiple CDC officials said, averting a feared halving of the highly selective fellowship. Each year, the CDC usually hires a new class of its Epidemic Intelligence Service officers to replace those graduating from the agency's two-year program. (Tin, 5/7)
For more than two months, the Trump administration has been subject to a federal court order stopping it from cutting funding related to gender identity and the provision of gender-affirming care in response to President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Lawyers for the federal government have repeatedly claimed in court filings that the administration has been complying with the order. (Waldman, 5/7)
In West Virginia's coal country, Marion Tennant says he was destined to work in the mines. "That was the only thing in this area when I graduated high school," Tennant said. That was in 1974, when Tennant was protected by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH. For decades it offered free screenings for black lung, a chronic disease caused by prolonged exposure to coal dust. But the screenings have stopped because of President Trump's mandated budget cuts. Tennant says he's worried for the younger workers. (Duncan, 5/7)
Newborn care. Reducing maternal mortality. Treatments for long Covid. These are among the slew of research initiatives at Columbia University that lost funding and stopped work after the Trump administration pulled $400 million from the New York school, according to a university official. (Cattan, 5/7)
A priceless treasure trove of biodata gathered from generations of Americans by Harvard University researchers may soon be lost due to additional funding cuts by the Trump administration, a leading nutrition researcher told CNN. (LaMotte, 5/8)
In updates from the FDA —
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday that it plans to expand unannounced inspections at foreign sites that produce food, essential medicines, and other medical products for US consumers, a move agency officials say will ensure that foreign companies receive the same level of oversight as US companies. ... Despite the advanced warning, the FDA said, serious deficiencies were found more than twice as often in foreign manufacturing sites as domestic sites. (Dall, 5/7)
In his first address to FDA staff on Wednesday, Vinay Prasad emphasized his commitment to evidence, his admiration for agency employees, and his desire to serve the American public. (Lawrence, 5/7)
