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Hi, it’s Sarah subbing in. I have some embarrassing memories of struggling to do even a single pull-up for the Presidential Fitness Test as a kid, so it is with great interest that I’m following the Trump administration’s efforts to revive the test for today’s unsuspecting schoolchildren. Send me your 10-minute-mile tales at [email protected].
‘I don’t know what the rules are’: NIH grant decisions stymie scientists
What’s the current climate for research funded by the National Institutes of Health? In the words of one researcher, “not as terrible as last year” — though “it’s not like I understand what’s going on.”
A new STAT analysis breaks down how the NIH awarded $34 billion in grant money to universities in fiscal year 2026. Funding went to 58,000 projects this year, compared to the historical average of 63,700 in the years before the second Trump administration, and the agency further reduced the number of awards for research tied to health disparities, race, and ethnicity. The analysis also includes a survey of about 50 NIH-funded researchers, who say that delays in the grant review process are slowing down the pace of their work. Read more from Jonathan Wosen, Anil Oza, and Emory Parker.
How big is Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak?
News of a fifth measles death in Pennsylvania underscores a longstanding issue about the disease. The full scope of the outbreak — in the state and in the country — isn’t known or even knowable.
Only confirmed cases are reported. As of Wednesday that total was 943 in Pennsylvania, about a quarter of the 2026 national total. About 20% of infected people end up needing hospital care and some other portion will see a doctor. But some will never come to the attention of public health.
That’s especially true in a place like Pennsylvania, where a number of counties have large numbers of Amish people. (It was true, too, in last year’s outbreak in Mennonite colonies in Texas.) People in these communities don’t interact much with the wider world. Measles vaccination rates are low, families are large, and people may not seek care unless the illness becomes severe.
At some point, researchers will come up with modeling estimates that may give us a better idea of how big this outbreak actually is. But for now, we’re just seeing a portion of the iceberg. “It is much worse than is being claimed,” says Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “I think we don’t know how bad.” — Helen Branswell
Protecting marathon runners amid climate change
Heat stroke is a growing risk for marathon runners amid global climate change. Collecting data from the medical tents on race courses where runners seek care is the best way to help event organizers prepare for and avoid inevitable crises, writes Vibhu Krishna in a new First Opinion.
Krishna, an avid runner and senior resident physician at UC San Francisco, explains how better data on the patients who come to medical tents can help ensure that care providers have all the ice, cold water immersion tubs, and other supplies they need. Compiling and sharing data from large races can also help event organizers assess whether changes like earlier start times or alternate dates help reduce the number of people who get sick or hurt. Read more.
New numbers point to ‘crisis’ in disability care
People with disabilities are struggling to find caregivers — and when they do, they’re more likely to experience problems with the quality of their care.
The grim findings come from a survey of 524 disability care providers published Wednesday by ANCOR, an advocacy group for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The report revealed that 85% of providers in the United States experienced moderate or severe staffing challenges in the past year and 55% have had to turn away people in need of care due to inadequate staffing. Care quality is down, while reportable incidents are up.
It’s unlikely these numbers will improve. States have already started slashing caregivers’ pay and other critical disability services in anticipation of Medicaid cuts that will roll out next year. — O. Rose Broderick
What we’re reading
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Four kids in one faith-healing family died. Authorities could do nothing, ProPublica
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Top journal’s special issue on women’s health casts spotlight on menopause and pain, STAT
- Abdul El-Sayed explains how science influences his politics, Scientific American
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As CDC redesigns annual health survey, it removes questions about disabilities, STAT
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‘It’s a nightmare’: Former refugee, professor on Trump’s new Medicaid policy, NPR