University of Utah researcher makes TIME100 list
The intrigue: Sundquist was mentioned alongside Tomas Cihlar, a virologist at biopharmaceutical company Gilead. Both worked together to develop a drug called lenacapavir to protect against HIV.
What they're saying: Sundquist and Cihlar "have labored for more than a dozen years to turn one antiviral treatment, lenacapavir, into a twice-a-year therapy to prevent HIV infection in those at high risk," according to the magazine.
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NBC News
13 hours ago
- NBC News
Kennedy considering firing members of preventive services task force
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering removing all 16 members of a highly influential advisory committee that offers guidance about preventive health services, such as cancer screenings, HIV prevention medications or tests for osteoporosis, according to two people familiar with the plan. The United States Preventive Services Task Force is a group of independent doctors, nurses and public health experts who volunteer to regularly review volumes of the latest scientific research about diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and mental health, as well as mammograms for breast cancer. Health and Human Services' spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in an emailed statement Friday that 'no final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS' mandate to Make America Healthy Again.' Earlier this month, Kennedy caused alarm among task force members after he abruptly postponed a scheduled meeting that was set to focus on heart disease and prevention. At the time, task force members weren't given a reason for the cancellation or whether the meeting would be rescheduled. Kennedy's plans were first reported Friday by The Wall Street Journal. The task force plays an important role in protecting access to screenings and tests because the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, mandates that most private insurers provide the services that the group recommends to patients at no cost. The task force makes its recommendations using a grading scale. Under federal law, services that get an A or B grade but must be covered by insurance plans at no cost for patients. The advisory group has come under fire from conservative groups for some past decisions, including its 'A' recommendation to cover the HIV prevention pill, known as PrEP. The advisory group has come under fire from conservative groups for some past decisions, including its 'A' recommendation to cover the HIV prevention pill, known as PrEP. That recommendation led to a lawsuit from several Christian employers that ended up before the Supreme Court, where the justices decided 6-3 to uphold the Affordable Care Act provision that requires insurers to cover task force-recommended preventive services for free. However, the court agreed with the Trump administration that Kennedy has final say over decisions made by members of the task force because HHS has oversight over the group. As health secretary, he also has the authority to remove and replace members. Kennedy has made children's chronic disease a keystone of his position as the country's top health official. It's unclear which areas of health care Kennedy might target by shaking up the panel. In June, Kennedy fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — which makes recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccines, including for children — and replaced them with eight new members. The new panel includes well-known vaccine critics.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Best and Worst Things to Say to Someone Just Diagnosed With Cancer
Credit - Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: HearttoHeart0225/Getty Images) When Katie Thurston was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer earlier this year, at age 34, people kept telling her they knew someone with the same diagnosis. Solidarity, you might think. A helpful way to relate. Not exactly: Their friend or family member had died. This scenario is 'pretty recurring,' says Thurston, who starred on season 17 of The Bachelorette, and while people have good intentions—they want you to know they have experience with what you're going through—the remark doesn't land well. 'We understand that death is a possibility in this diagnosis,' she says. 'I don't need to hear that.' Thurston has been on the receiving end of a lot of outreach and opinions since she shared her breast cancer diagnosis—from strangers online, as well as people she knows in real life. While death-related stories are particularly painful, there are plenty of other comments that fall short of helpful. Communication slip-ups in this area are common, experts say. When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, people often struggle to figure out how to express their support, leading them to trip over their words or hold back from saying anything at all. 'The data I have to back that up is all the people in my office who say, 'People don't know how to talk to me,'' says Felicity Harper, a clinical psychologist at Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. 'It's very difficult, unless you've been through it or have some frame of reference, to really know what to say. You don't want to say the wrong thing, but you don't know what the right thing is.' Here's what to avoid when you're talking to someone diagnosed with cancer—and what to say instead. Make real and meaningful contact When you hear about a friend or family member's diagnosis, you might default to saying how sorry you are. 'They're going to hear that a million times,' Harper says. But 'no one is sorrier to hear that they were diagnosed with cancer than the cancer patients themselves.' Instead, she recommends phrasing your message like this: 'I heard about your diagnosis. I'm thinking of you, and I'm here for you.' It's also helpful to add that you don't expect a response—or to simply prepare yourself not to receive one. 'If you're sick and you get all these cards or texts, it makes you feel wonderful, but you also don't want the pressure of having to respond to everybody,' Harper says. If you haven't heard back, 'reach out again in another couple weeks or a month. It's just being consistent.' Don't respond with toxic positivity The No. 1 complaint Harper hears from cancer patients is that other people try to tell them how to feel—and it inevitably involves thinking positively. 'You're going to beat this!' they might say. 'Don't worry. You just have to stay positive.' People often assure Thurston that everything happens for a reason or promise that everything will be OK. 'It almost belittles the reality and emotions that a cancer patient is going through,' she says. Having cancer means tackling a range of emotions, sometimes all within the same hour: anxiety, fear, hope, uncertainty, disappointment, and anger, just for starters. 'When someone is having a hard time, our inclination is often to want to fix things and say, 'Oh, don't feel bad,' when really what they need is space to feel their feelings,' Harper says. The patients she sees often tell her that they feel like they're doing their cancer experience wrong because they can't stay positive—which makes them feel guilty, or like they're failing. That's exacerbated by comments like, 'If you just thought positively, you'd be doing better,' or telling someone that their stress is making them sicker. Read More: 10 Ways to Respond to Someone's Bad News Instead, Harper advises, make it a point to listen without judgment. Rather than invalidating them by downplaying the gravity of the situation, support your loved ones by telling them: 'Gosh, that sounds scary. That must be so hard.' Then stick by their side as they experience the whiplash of those ever-changing emotions. Although it might feel challenging, it's key to allow your loved one the space to talk freely about whatever they want—even the especially hard stuff. If a cancer patient's disease reaches an advanced stage, the people closest to them are also scared, so they try to shut down those conversations: 'You don't need to think about your funeral plans.' 'We've got to find a way to let that patient talk about it, and maybe that means we need to go talk to somebody about our own feelings,' Harper says. 'That's for us to deal with separately.' Check before offering advice People with cancer often get fed up by their loved ones telling them what to do. The word 'should' comes up a lot, Harper says: 'You should see this doctor! You should try that treatment plan! You should put these supplements on autoship.' Translation: 'I don't trust that you're getting good care, or that you know enough about what's best for you.' In general, it's a good idea to avoid offering solutions, well-intentioned as they might be. 'The thing I always say to patients is, you can tell those people, 'Look, when you've had cancer, you can come back and tell me what to do,'' Harper says. 'Until then, the best thing is to allow the patient to be the expert on how they're feeling,' and the ways they're managing their disease. Read More: How to Reconnect With People You Care About While unsolicited tips aren't always welcome, Thurston appreciates when people open a conversation like this: 'If you'd like to hear some advice, let me know. Or, if you want help researching any specific topic related to your diagnosis, I'm here.' In other words: 'I want to help you get information, but only if you're ready to accept it or want help researching it.' That makes it much more palatable, she says, and she's taken loved ones up on the offer. Avoid a litany of other unhelpful remarks When the conversation turns to appearance and cancer-related changes, some people say: 'It's just hair. It will grow back.' 'But the thing is, it's just hair until it happens to you,' says Thurston, who's documenting her medical journey via an Instagram group she dubbed the Boobie Broadcast. 'This isn't a bad haircut. This is a very emotionally and physically difficult time, and we need to be cautious of comments like that.' Many breast cancer patients undergo a mastectomy, which involves removing all or part of the breast, and can be followed by reconstruction to rebuild the breast shape. Some people pounce on that when making conversation. 'I think people try to be optimistic on our behalf, so they'll say these lighthearted comments like, 'Oh, at least it's a free boob job,'' Thurston says. ''Oh, you get a free tummy tuck.' And while they mean well, it's not free. There's so many consequences—it's not some vain situation I'm going through. It's a surgery because of my medical diagnosis." Read More: The Race to Explain Why More Young Adults Are Getting Cancer The subject of family planning is also full of landmines. Thurston was vocal about undergoing IVF before beginning treatment as part of her fertility preservation plan. It's an incredibly sensitive topic, she says, and she's already heard plenty of unhelpful feedback, like from people who tell her she can always foster or adopt. 'A lot goes into IVF, and I don't know where I'm going to be physically, emotionally, and financially if that doesn't work out for me,' she says. 'To simply say 'you can always adopt'—it's not as easy as you're making it sound, and you're belittling the entire experience I'm going through when it comes to IVF.' Thurston recommends letting the person with cancer guide these conversations—and if you do venture into the subject, to ask questions like, 'How much do you want to talk about it?' She's encountered people who are truly sensitive about the situation and, for example, ask if it's OK if they bring their children to places where she'll be. 'Sometimes it can be triggering to even see a baby,' she says, and when people are cognizant of that, their thoughtfulness goes a long way. Don't default to silence Not everyone says the right thing when they're trying to support someone who's just been diagnosed with cancer. But saying anything—even if it's not perfect—is better than saying nothing at all. 'I think people don't know what to say or they feel uncomfortable, but I'd rather someone stumble on their attempt at talking about it, vs. not saying anything,' Thurston says. 'That one hurts the most, and I think people don't realize it.' If you're not sure what to say, tell your friend exactly that. Thurston recommends adding: 'I might have difficulties having this conversation. Help me navigate—help me understand.' Many of Harper's patients say they learned who their real friends were after they were diagnosed with cancer. Some of the people in their network stepped up and were present; others vanished, perhaps because they didn't know what to say or didn't realize their voice would be missed. Checking in matters, Harper stresses, and not just at the beginning of treatment. Once active care ends, 'People assume you're fine, and they never ask about it again,' she says. 'But patients deal with the effects of cancer treatment long after the treatment's over'—not to mention that those who have metastatic disease will need to manage it long term. Read More: 10 Questions to Help You Plan for the End of Life If you're staying mum because you don't want to pester your friend, reconsider. Thurston suggests directly asking: 'Do you want me to check in about your diagnosis? Do you want me to check in about your life? How much are you wanting to have this in front of you, vs. having it be an afterthought?' Talking about cancer is so emotional, she adds, that sometimes she just wants to talk about reality TV, the restaurant she went to last weekend, or her dog—anything else. Harper counsels patients on how to set boundaries around talking about their disease. Some get in the habit of saying: 'I don't want to talk about it—when I do want to, I'll bring it up.' 'Sometimes cancer needs to be on the back-burner,' Harper says. 'It doesn't need to be your whole identity—sometimes you just want to remember what your life was like before.' Offer practical, specific help If you want to do something to lighten a cancer patient's load, consider asking the people closest to them—a parent, sibling, or spouse—how you can best be helpful. Word it like this: 'The church is thinking about setting up a meal train for the family. Is that something you think would be good?' Aim to offer practical support, like setting up a fund for gas money, building a wheelchair ramp connected to their front door, providing childcare, or planning a low-key visit once a week, Harper says. Thurston loves when people make specific offers to help, like telling her they want to provide dinner—and then asking if she'd prefer Thursday or Friday drop-off. Or, someone might reach out and say they'd like to drive her to her next oncology appointment. 'Those action items of offering support make such a huge difference,' she says. 'To some people, it might feel small, but to a cancer patient, it really makes such a positive impact.' Wondering what to say in a tricky social situation? Email timetotalk@ Contact us at letters@
NBC News
15 hours ago
- NBC News
A global HIV/AIDS program that saved millions of lives faces cuts under the Trump administration
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering a dramatic cutback and eventual phasing out of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. program to combat HIV/AIDS in developing countries that has been widely credited with saving 26 million lives since its inception in 2003, according to multiple congressional and administration officials. Created during the George W. Bush administration, PEPFAR was launched with star-power support from U2 frontman and advocate for developing countries, Bono, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank. In the two decades since, it enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Congress. But as the Trump administration has sought to cut costs across the U.S. government, particularly for global aid programs, PEPFAR has come up on the chopping block. The administration initially proposed a cut of $400 million from next year's budget, but that funding was restored at the last minute by the Republican-led Senate last week, keeping it going in the short term. Four congressional aides told NBC News that the program was virtually frozen, along with most funding for USAID, in early February. Contracts with providers were put on hold and funding was reduced to what they called a 'trickle.' They said that most promised State Department waivers for critical care did not materialize, and that 51% of current PEPFAR appropriations were either terminated or were not functional. 'They're sitting on the money,' congressional officials said. 'We're not seeing it in the field.' According to the aides, in April, the State Department's then-director of the Office of Foreign Assistance, Peter Marocco, working with Elon Musk's DOGE team to dismantle foreign aid, briefed Congress that PEPFAR would refocus on maternal and child HIV transmission, excluding LGBT individuals and most preventative care that the program has done for decades. Earlier this month, a senior State Department official told reporters, 'The program was actually drowning in too much money, in some cases, you know, sort of going beyond its core mandate.' The official said, 'So instead, we're going to focus on that lifesaving care' and 'work with countries on self-reliance' to ensure there is not a gap in coverage. The senior official said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is drawing a distinction between people who have HIV and need lifesaving direct treatment, and preventative care for sex workers as well as bisexual and gay men. The State Department official also said, 'It doesn't mean that the United States has to pay for every single thing around the world." "A lot of these countries, they've graduated to the point where their HIV rates are low enough and their economy is healthy enough that they can continue to pay for some of these things. We can get in, make positive change and then get out rather than paying forever so that every sex worker in Africa has PrEP," the official said, referring to HIV medication. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas testified to Congress last week that, overall, in the administration's budget request for the next fiscal year there is a 54% cut in PEPFAR's administrative, nondirect care funds. That is in addition to a 15% cut in the department's budget request for direct care in the same budget request. A global health staff of 700 people plus contractors in the field prior to President Donald Trump taking office has been reduced to 80 people after recent firings. Last month, White House budget director Russell Vought told a Senate committee, without providing evidence, that PEPFAR spent $9.3 million 'to advise Russian doctors on how to perform abortions and gender analysis.' Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee and former chairman of the Africa Subcommittee, told NBC News that PEPFAR had always planned to get countries that had developed their own hospitals and health care systems, such as South Africa, to take over funding the program by 2030. According to Coons, that transition is already underway. But he and other critics of the current budget cuts said that it is not possible in low-income conflict zones, such as South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti, to replace the U.S program anytime soon. Still, according to a draft planning memo reported by The New York Times, the State Department would shut down U.S. support in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Vietnam within two years. Nations with high HIV infection rates, including Kenya, Zimbabwe and Angola, would get three to four years, the Times reported, while lower-income countries would get up to eight years under the proposal. NBC News has not viewed the draft plan and a State Department official told NBC News it has not been finalized. Dr. Robert Black, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who evaluated PEPFAR for Congress, told NBC News, 'I think two years for a number of countries, for many countries in Africa, would be too short,' adding, 'I just can't imagine two years would be an effective transition.' Black also said maintaining prevention is 'clearly important" and that withdrawing funding for prevention, which is contemplated under the Trump plan, would increase HIV rates and expand the burden. Rubio, who as a senator supported PEPFAR and other foreign aid, defended $20 billion in overall proposed budget cuts to the Senate Foreign Relations committee in May, citing 'duplicative, wasteful and ideologically driven programs.' Asked last week about the PEPFAR cuts, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who served in the Bush administration when PEPFAR was launched, told NBC News at the Aspen Security Forum, 'I do think PEPFAR is going to not only survive, I think it's going to be just fine. ... There will be some scaling back, and it's probably worth it to take a look at focusing on what we really need to focus on. We've become pretty dispersed and diffuse in the kinds of programs that we were running.' But, she added, 'what makes America different as a great power is that we have not led just with power, but we've also led with principle.' Later at the conference, Rice said launching PEPFAR was 'the proudest moment' in all of her government service. But she added that the U.S. also wants to build other countries' capacity and health care systems to sustain themselves. Former President Bush, in rare criticism of Trump's policies, praised fired foreign aid workers in a video last month. He told the State Department employees who had been fired, 'You've shown the great strength of America through your work, and that is our good heart.' Citing PEPFAR'S lifesaving work, Bush said, 'Is it in our interest that 25 million people who would have died, now live? I think it is. On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your hard work, and God bless you.' In a video, Bono told the foreign aid staff in verse, 'They called you crooks — when you were the best of us, there for the rest of us. And don't think any less of us, when politics makes a mess of us. It's not left-wing rhetoric to feed the hungry, heal the sick. If this isn't murder. I don't know what is.'
