Happy Wednesday! WHEW! The past week in the U.S. has been a whirlwind of fire and ICE. (Sending love to L.A.🫶🏼). Adjusting to a new administration has been a rollercoaster, and keeping up with the updates was no small feat—but we did our best to stay on top of it (and keep our composure). So here it is, straight and to the point. And yes, we’ve got a juicy breakdown of the buzz around AI’s new contender, DeepSeek.

In Today’s Edition:

• CDC Hits Pause on WHO Collaboration—What This Means for Global Health

• Progress on Pause: Brace for Impacts from the Federal Funding Freeze

• Foreign Aid Took a Hit Too, Leaving Vulnerable Populations in Limbo

• DeepSeek Isn’t a Porn Site: It’s an AI Powered Wrecking Ball—And Big Tech’s Feeling the Smash

• ICYMI: Ready to Rumble’s Greatest Hits

🩺 Trending News

CDC Hits Pause on WHO Collaboration—What This Means for Global Health

The CDC has been ordered to halt all collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), following a directive from CDC official John Nkengasong. This unexpected move could create major roadblocks in addressing global health concerns like Marburg virus, mpox, and avian flu. While the order aligns with a recent executive action to withdraw the U.S. from WHO, the decision isn’t final—it still requires congressional approval and financial settlements.

The biggest concern? Cutting off communication and cooperation with WHO may weaken the global and domestic response to emerging health threats. In public health, knowledge-sharing saves lives—so what happens when that exchange is disrupted?

⚙️ The More You Know

Progress on Pause: Brace for Impacts from the Federal Funding Freeze

As of January 28, 2025, the federal government has paused all domestic federal grants and loans for an administrative review. While such pauses are common during transitions, the ripple effects of this decision could be significant.

As a researcher, provider, educator, and patient advocate, I understand the intent behind operational reviews—but at what cost? Here’s what you need to know:

📌 Disruption to Medical Research: Funding delays from agencies like the NIH could slow groundbreaking advancements in treatments for diseases and prevention. Delays = increased cost...consider the ultimate downstream effects. Who’s going to absorb the bill? (MMMM we the people)

📌 Uncertainty for Researchers: With no clear timeline, ongoing projects are in limbo, creating barriers to progress in healthcare and innovation. For researchers who dedicate their lives to advancing hashtag#science and hashtag#medicine, the federal grant pause is more than a delay—it’s devastating. These individuals work tirelessly, fueled by the hope that their discoveries will save lives. Federal grants are their lifeline, keeping labs running and progress moving forward. Now, they face profound uncertainty, wondering if years of effort and critical breakthroughs will come to a standstill.

📌 Operational Challenges: Federal agencies and grant recipients face logistical roadblocks, further complicating the situation. I hope I'm wrong but I don't foresee this resolved in the stated "90-day period."

📌 The Bright Side? Reportedly, programs such as Social Security and Medicare remain unaffected, ensuring continued direct assistance to individuals. 🤞

While temporary reviews are important, we must ask ourselves: Is progress in life-saving research worth the delay? How can we advocate for clarity, and ensure science and health don’t take a back seat? Aren’t there less vital areas to cut back on?!

Foreign Aid Took a Hit Too, Leaving Vulnerable Populations in Limbo

Alongside the domestic funding freeze, foreign assistance—just 1% of the federal budget—was paused last Friday to evaluate whether current foreign aid programs align with the administration's new policy goals. This freeze includes a global stop-work order issued by the State Department, affecting even previously approved and appropriated funds. The result? Discontinuation of health clinics and other programs resulting in critical, life-saving aid in limbo, leaving vulnerable populations worldwide at risk. Pretty antithetical to American values. Sayonara world peace.

💡Inspiration for Aspirations

Pro-tip: You CAN effect change. If you feel compassionate about policy, make your voice heard. Write to your local, state, and U.S. Representatives. Better yet, make an appointment! We have even included the easy button below. Push push away! ☑️

🤖 Artificial Insight: Discoveries in AI

DeepSeek Isn’t a Porn Site: It’s an AI Powered Wrecking Ball—And Big Tech’s Feeling the Smash

Wondering what the DeepSeek AI hype is about? Let us break it down. DeepSeek is not a porn site, it’s a Chinese AI startup with a bad name. It’s stunned the industry by creating an advanced AI model at a fraction of the cost and computing power required by U.S. tech giants. This efficiency-driven approach not only slashed expenses but also caused a ripple effect in the market, with Nvidia's value dropping by $593 billion—the largest market loss in U.S. history. By leveraging a "mixture of experts" technique, DeepSeek activates only the computing power needed for specific tasks, setting a new benchmark for AI development, [per reports]. We have so many questions...

Key Takeaways:

📍 Cost Efficiency: DeepSeek’s AI model costs significantly less to train compared to U.S. counterparts—$5.6 million versus over $100 million.

📍 Market Impact: Nvidia, a key chip supplier, experienced a historic drop in value due to fears of decreased demand for high-end GPUs.

📍 Innovative Methods: Their "mixture of experts" strategy is a blueprint for efficiency and sustainability.

📍 Policy Backfire?: We have no idea. There are whispers that export restrictions might have inadvertently accelerated the very competition they sought to suppress. It’s a provocative idea—but I have questions...

🔎ICYMI

Check out our last edition: Ready to Rumble

This was jam packed with legislative updates for PAs, last-minute reforms we plan to keep an eye on, a tongue-in-cheek look at how common sense in healthcare might never have been common, and a cautionary tale about AI gone rogue.

• Celebrating a win: New Hampshire report debunks supervision myths

• Congress is on the clock in 2024

• Virtual mental health services are making an impact

• Common sense study reveals improved work conditions could improve patient outcomes

• Mental health services are making an impact

• AI goes dark: A chatbot's chilling response

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