Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Immigration Ban Fiercely Denounced By Research Community
Stat: Top Academics Lash Out At Trump's 'Un-American' Immigration Ban
Over 4,000 academics, including 25 Nobel laureates, have signed a petition denouncing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that bars people from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the US. Under the order, signed Friday, nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen are prohibited from entering the US for at least 90 days, regardless of whether they have green cards or visas. (Garde, 1/28)
Stat: Immigration Ban Will 'Have An Impact On Research,' Exec Says
President Trump’s temporary ban on immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries could hamper bioscience research, according to Hakim Djaballah, a biotech consultant in New York. Djaballah, who works in the fields of aging, infectious disease, and oncology, is on the board of the Pasteur Institute of Iran, and he’s concerned that mounting tensions between the US and countries affected by the 90-day ban — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen — might impede scientific progress. (Keshavan, 1/30)
Stat: Hillary Clinton Shows Support For Immigrant Cancer Researchers
During a week when President Trump’s efforts to ban immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim nations touched off alarms among scientists worldwide, his former rival was sending a very different message. Hillary Clinton spent Wednesday evening at a star-studded fundraiser supporting the cancer research of two top scientists at Columbia University — both of whom happen to be immigrants. One of the event’s beneficiaries was Dr. Azra Raza, who last summer wrote an opinion piece for STAT under the headline: “I’m an immigrant and a Muslim. And I’m here to cure cancer.” Raza, who researches early-stage leukemia, grew up in Pakistan. She said Clinton repeatedly thanked her for her work. (Robbins, 1/29)
Boston Globe: Boston Area Academics Facing Bans On Entering US
President Trump’s order closing the nation’s borders to people from seven predominantly Muslim countries echoed across Boston’s academic institutions and research laboratories Saturday, blocking some scholars from entering the country and leaving scores more in limbo. The directive, which also halts refugees worldwide from entering the United States for 120 days, prompted leaders at schools such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University to offer support to students and academics whose lives might be upended by the order. (Crimaldi, Allen and Sacchetti, 1/28)
Boston Globe: Baker Says Trump Order Puts State’s Education, Health Care Institutions At Risk
Governor Charlie Baker said Sunday that President Trump’s immigration order puts at risk the ability of Massachusetts’s education, health care, and business sectors to do their jobs. “Massachusetts is a global community. We all benefit from the shared experiences of our partners from around the world,” Baker said in a written statement. “Our education, health care, business and public sector institutions rely on these relationships to deliver on their missions every single day.” (Belman, 1/29)
