Tag Archives: blame

NIH Funding for ME Goes Down in 2018

Posted on October 21, 2018 by Jennie Spotila

Updated May 29 and October 16, 2019 with additional funding numbers. Fiscal year 2018 is over, so now we can answer the question of whether ME research funding at NIH would go up or down. As I predicted back in … Continue reading →

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NIH Time Warp

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Jennie Spotila

Let’s take a quiz. I have a letter that was sent on behalf of Dr. Francis Collins, Director of NIH, to a person with ME, and I want you to guess when that letter was sent. Here’s an excerpt: First, … Continue reading →

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The NIH Pilot Program: What We Can Do

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Jennie Spotila

As I discussed in Part One of the NIH Pilot Program, NIH thinks that the three (and only three) Collaborative Research Centers are seeds to generate interest in ME research, and will wait for more research applications to come in … Continue reading →

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The NIH Pilot Program: Wait and See

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Jennie Spotila

MEAction has collected thousands of signatures on a letter to Dr. Francis Collins, asking for a meeting with him and a plan of action to attack the ME public health crisis. That request is all the more urgent because NIH … Continue reading →

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All The Time and None At All

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Jennie Spotila

Dr. Francis Collins, in answering a question about ME research on April 20th, said that NIH recognizes and empathizes with our suffering and our “frustration that so little is known.” Then he dropped some knowledge. Dr. Collins said, “Research, done … Continue reading →

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The Truth Is Not Always Nice

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Jennie Spotila

My parents used to tell me, “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” But they also raised me to tell the truth, especially when speaking to authority. I have to say some true things today, … Continue reading →

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NIH Attitudes Affect Policy: A Story In Two Parts

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Jennie Spotila

The current situation for ME research at NIH is still a problem, despite the fact that the RFAs will increase spending on ME by a significant percentage. I say this based on two things: what the ME field needs to … Continue reading →

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Reality Checking, Dr. Nath

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

This is the second of a two part series. Part One described the controversy and my fact checking. Part Two presents my analysis of the potential danger to the Clinical Care study. As part of the renewed focus on ME/CFS … Continue reading →

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Fact Checking, Dr. Nath

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

This is the first of a two part series. Part One describes the controversy and my fact checking. Part Two will present my analysis of what I found. As part of the renewed focus on ME/CFS at NIH, the National … Continue reading →

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Mental Illness Meme

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

When it comes to press coverage of CFS and XMRV, there is a pervasive mental illness meme that must be addressed. It goes something like this: XMRV/viruses do not cause ME/CFS. Therefore, it could be a mental illness. Patients strongly … Continue reading →

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