Closer Look
The debate over what constitutes 'enough' evidence on gender-affirming care
Adobe
It's been an unfortunate record year for anti-LGBTQ+ efforts, particularly when it comes to gender-affirming care. Attacks often hinge on the argument that the existing evidence — made up mainly of observational studies — is insufficient, and the care is "experimental." But the viability of "high-quality" evidence like randomized controlled trials is often limited by both practical and ethical concerns.
"I think the people who are calling for RCTs on whether or not we should provide gender-affirming care are simply not serious," said Ayden Scheim, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health. "Not serious in terms of their understanding of basic principles of epidemiology and public health research." STAT's Theresa Gaffney has more.
global health
More striking ProMED staffers have been fired
The number of remaining staff of the global disease surveillance program ProMED continues to shrink, STAT's Helen Branswell reports, with additional moderators and other employees having been fired by the staff of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, which oversees the program. A number of long-time moderators and the administrative staff of ISID have been at odds since mid-summer over a plan to put much of the information ProMED collects behind a paywall, a move the ISID says is required to sustain the program. The ISID has struggled to pay the moderators, who earn a $7,000 a year stipend.
Many of the moderators and support staff went on strike in early August but most had agreed to return to work at the beginning of this week. That plan changed when ISID CEO Linda MacKinnon terminated the leaders of the strike last week. Some moderators who remained out on strike in protest have been informed their services are no longer required. Among those now listed on the ProMED website as "past team members" are long-time anthrax expert Martin Hugh-Jones, a professor emeritus at Louisiana State University, and viral diseases moderator Laura Kramer, a professor emeritus at the University of New York at Albany's School of Public Health.
science
And the winners are …
In their 10th year, the Breakthrough Prizes — created by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki — deliver kudos to laureates in the life sciences, fundamental physics, and mathematics. The 2024 winners in the life sciences are celebrated for their discoveries in cancer, cystic fibrosis, and Parkinson's disease. AKA the "Oscars of Science," the honors include $3 million prizes for each team:
- Carl June of the University of Pennsylvania and Michel Sadelain of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for developing CAR-T therapy, in which key immune cells are genetically engineered to recognize the cancer cells of individual patients.
- Sabine Hadida, Paul Negulescu, and Fredrick Van Goor of Vertex Pharmaceuticals for inventing the first effective treatment for the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis.
- Thomas Gasser of the University of Tübingen, Ellen Sidransky of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and Andrew Singleton of National Institute on Aging for discovering the two most common genetic causes of Parkinson's disease.
All winners get the chance to walk the red carpet April 13 at a ceremony in Los Angeles.
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