"the clinical research coordinator" #9 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2025-03-12 02:37 PM | Reply | Flag:
You know what the clinical research coordinator does? It acts like it needs to coordinate the people that actually do the research. So why not keep the researchers who actually do the work and get rid of the waste that gets in the way of them doing it.
#13 | Posted by fishpaw

Yes, I imagine the clinical research coordinator does what the job title suggests: coordinates the research that is being done, sometimes across multiple research sites, in which case the clinical research coordinator would play an important, necessary role. Somebody has to look at the research, put it all together, analyze it, address questions and problems that occur. Individual researchers are essential, but so is the person who oversees them, makes sure protocols are being followed, collects all the data and comes to conclusions about it. That is work too.

The real crime here is these people politicizing the study to own leon.
#8 | Posted by itchypossum

Musk is doing real damage, not just to individual research projects and the people who were counting on them, but to whole communities which are built around "Eds and Meds" jobs. Pittsburgh is one such community, which was devastated years ago by the steel mills closing down and which rebuilt its economy around the very jobs which Musk, Trump and the GOP are cutting and/or threatening to cut:

How NIH cuts could stall Pittsburgh's economy

The Pittsburgh area's economy could lose out on billions of dollars if federal health research cuts proposed by the Trump administration go through, officials say.

Why it matters: Pittsburgh's economy is largely driven by health care, universities and tech--the so-called "Eds and Meds"--and medical research is a huge part of that equation, according to Stefani Pashman, CEO of pro-business coalition Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

What they're saying: "This is an industry that is the backbone of this region," said Lee. "It would be as big as making cuts to U.S. Steel in its heyday."

Zoom out: Pashman said medical research is a cornerstone of Pittsburgh's "Eds and Meds" economy.

"It is our brand now," she said. "It really would stall our economy if it came through. It would take some significant wind out of the sails of the region."

So for want of ONE administrative position, the entire program is not??
I call BS.
#7 | Posted by itchypossum

It wasn't just one administrative position. It was the key administrative position, i.e. "the clinical research coordinator" which wasn't "renewed". Could they have promoted someone else into the position? Probably not. There was no funding for the position, which was eliminated.

Not renewing funding for medical research trialsis one thing, especially if you give people a heads up so that they can plan and prepare for those cuts. Cutting off funding for trials already underway is another thing entirely. This is true for any of the cuts Musk/Trump are making. People should be given time to plan, prepare, look for other funding sources or wind down programs that can't be sustained. The cruelty is the point though. But they want to traumatize people as Russ Voight said, and in that they are succeeding. And in the process they are also wasting all the time and money that went into the trials/programs that were underway and are suddenly cut off. It didn't have to be this way.

FTA:

At the Veterans Affairs hospital in Pittsburgh, researchers spent months preparing for a clinical trial of a new drug to treat advanced cancers of the mouth, throat and voice box.

They were ready last month to start enrolling patients " veterans whose cancer had spread to other tissue and who had run out of treatment options.

Then a problem arose.

The hospital was unable to renew the job of a key staff member involved in running the study, a typically routine process thwarted by a hiring freeze imposed under the government-cutting project led by President Trump and Elon Musk. Suddenly, the clinical trial was on hold.

"They were ready to enroll," said Alanna Caffas, the chief executive of the Veterans Health Foundation, which administers the trials. "They had the lab kits on site. They had the drug to dispense. But they couldn't get the clinical research coordinator renewed."

This FUBAR cutting of medical research is unfortunately not limited to Columbia University but is an essential feature of Musk and his DOGE bros assault on the federal government:

Chaos at the V.A.: Inside the DOGE Cuts Disrupting the Veterans Agency

Clinical trials have been delayed, contracts canceled and support staff fired. With deeper cuts coming, some are warning of potential harms to veterans.

At the Veterans Affairs hospital in Pittsburgh, researchers spent months preparing for a clinical trial of a new drug to treat advanced cancers of the mouth, throat and voice box.

They were ready last month to start enrolling patients--veterans whose cancer had spread to other tissue and who had run out of treatment options.

Then a problem arose.

The hospital was unable to renew the job of a key staff member involved in running the study, a typically routine process thwarted by a hiring freeze imposed under the government-cutting project led by President Trump and Elon Musk. Suddenly, the clinical trial was on hold.

"They were ready to enroll," said Alanna Caffas, the chief executive of the Veterans Health Foundation, which administers the trials. "They had the lab kits on site. They had the drug to dispense. But they couldn't get the clinical research coordinator renewed."

Ending funding for medical research trials that are already underway is a waste of taxpayer money as well as being cruel and unusual treatment for the participants in those trials and the people who are anxiously and hopefully awaiting their results. Better hope you and your neighbor never find yourselves in the position of needing the results of those trials yourselves.

Jamie Daw
@jamiedaw.bsky.social

I received one of the 232 NIH grant "terminations" sent to scientists at Columbia last night. My research focuses on improving maternal and child health in the US. Also affected: ongoing clinical trials, research training programs, and research centers that aim to improve the health of Americans.

This is where we are folks:

News Eye
@newseye.bsky.social
A President reduced to car salesman is historically degrading.

But there's something else very revealing in all this: amidst growing protests & collapsing sales, Musk is panicked.

LOL Close up of paper Trump referred to while saying he's going to write a check for a Tesla tommorow morning:

Eliot Higgins
@eliothiggins.bsky.social

HE'S LITERALLY READING A SALES PITCH

Video at link:

Aaron Rupar
@atrupar.com

Trump says he's going to write a check for his new Tesla: "I do it the old-fashioned -- I give checks. I like checks. I like a check better than this better system of, all of the sudden there's money in your account. Nobody knows.

"I think his credit is good," Elon Musk adds.

FYI: Before some low information voter wanders into this thread quoting the latest Musk lie regarding social security:

Peter Baker
@peterbakernyt.bsky.social

Musk claims Social Security is a "gigantic magnet to attract illegal immigrants."

In fact, immigrants here illegally do not collect Social Security. But they pay $25.7 billion a year into it, a recent study found, so these undocumented workers are actually subsidizing Americans.

..according to four sources familiar with..
it writes itself
#10 | Posted by itchypossum

Anticipating such a response is why I posted this upfront:

FTA:

The department's plans to perform these tests was first reported by Bloomberg Government.

After the publication of this article, DHS said in a statement: "The Department of Homeland Security is a national security agency. We can, should, and will polygraph personnel."

Border czar Tom Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have blamed lower-than-expected ICE arrest numbers on recent leaks revealing the cities where it planned to conduct operations.

#1 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday

"Ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade which the American people have not seen in decades ... "

Have not seen in decades? Hmm, someone needs to ask Leavitt, Trump and Republicans in general if this includes "the largest, most significant, modern, and balanced trade agreement in history" which Trump himself negotiated and bragged about just 5 years ago:

President Donald J. Trump's United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Delivers a Historic Win for American Workers
January 29, 2020

"The USMCA is the largest, most significant, modern, and balanced trade agreement in history. All of our countries will benefit greatly."
President Donald J. Trump

DELIVERING ON HIS PROMISE: President Donald J. Trump is replacing the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Republicans of late are fond of saying, Zelensky doesn't want the war to end because then he'll have to run for re-election. The same is true for Bibi, only in Bibi's case continuing the war is also forestalling an investigation into his dealings with/handling of Hamas before October 7th and on that fateful day.

To reiterate the obvious: You can be anti-Bibi without being anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. Likewise, you can be pro-Palestinian without being pro-Hamas.

I hardly see butterflies anymore. I've noticed that the past few years. Have been watching The Americas narrated by Tom Hanks and they did a segment on the monarch butterflies. While watching it with a friend, I remarked how much I miss seeing them.

In a joint statement from Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the two leaders said they had a "productive conversation about the economic relationship between the United States and Canada."
"In response, Ontario agreed to suspend its 25 percent surcharge on exports of electricity to Michigan, New York and Minnesota," Ford and Lutnick said.
#28 | Posted by YAV

I saw Ford this morning on TV. He said he didn't want increase the surcharge on electricity but that he would if he had too. Obviously, cooler heads on both side of the border prevailed.

1Lumper2 is always trying to get for my attention. For the most part I ignore him.

"Ontario suspends 25% electricity surcharge for US customers after Trump ups aluminum, steel tariff "
nypost.com
LMAO
#24 | Posted by lfthndthrds

Wheee! Aren't trade wars fun? The market loves this kind of faux drama and unpredictablity.

Also from the above linked to article

During his 2020 presidential run, Sanders pledged to reject contributions from PACs, and even returned donations of over $200 from "lobbyists, or executives of health insurance or pharmaceutical companies." In that statement, the Sanders campaign explicitly said it would accept contributions from "rank-and-file workers employed by pharmaceutical giants."

A STAT examination of Senate and presidential campaign committees for Warren and Sanders since 2016 found no donations from PACs related to the brand-drug lobby PhRMA or any of its 26 current member companies, or from three companies that left the organization recently. No CEOs of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies by market cap donated to either of the senators since at least 2016.

Ok, I'm sorry, just because he got the donations from the execs from big pharma doesn't mean he got it from Big Pharma. LOL.
#32 | Posted by fishpaw

No, that's not what the article said. Why would big pharma executives vote for Bernie, who is a champion of cutting drig prices? They didn't.

Buying an electic car is foolish. Even my golf cart is gas. I don't need a generator or big battery to run it. A quart of gasoline will run it for a week.
#12 | Posted by Robson

Did you know that Trump posted on his social media site today that he is "goimg to buy a brand new Telsa tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk"? Yep, he did:

What's that saying: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Way to go, DonOLD.

Maybe look at the local governments you voted in and you can get a clue.
#17 | Posted by lfthndthrds

Local governments here are run by Republicans. I wish they would get a clue.

Heck of a job, DonOLD. PS this will really convice people we should privatize Social Security so that money can be put in the stock market: