WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.839 Welcome to the Meteorology Matters podcast. We 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:06.019 are going to be taking a look today at some pretty 00:00:06.019 --> 00:00:09.339 substantial shifts happening within the US scientific 00:00:09.339 --> 00:00:11.300 and medical communities, especially in these 00:00:11.300 --> 00:00:15.800 first few months after President Trump's inauguration. 00:00:15.820 --> 00:00:19.160 Yeah, yeah. And you've shared some interesting 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:21.600 material with us that really suggests that there's 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:24.620 a lot of change happening, potentially even a 00:00:24.620 --> 00:00:28.679 reshaping of American research and health care. 00:00:28.780 --> 00:00:31.399 So let's really unpack this and see what this 00:00:31.399 --> 00:00:35.479 means for you and the broader scientific and 00:00:35.479 --> 00:00:37.939 healthcare world. Yeah, it's really quite remarkable 00:00:37.939 --> 00:00:40.799 the speed and the scope of the changes that we're 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:43.579 seeing. You know, it's not just like isolated 00:00:43.579 --> 00:00:47.340 incidents. It really does seem to suggest a broader 00:00:47.340 --> 00:00:49.859 kind of reconsideration that's happening within 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:52.140 these really, really important professions. Yeah, 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:55.479 absolutely. So a lot of what we'll be talking 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:59.039 about today comes from a survey of over 1 ,600 00:00:59.039 --> 00:01:01.820 scientists, and the results are pretty fascinating. 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:06.500 And it seems like a substantial number of these 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:08.519 scientists are seriously thinking about leaving 00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:13.000 the United States. So let's kind of understand 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:15.140 the reasons for that, or where they might be 00:01:15.140 --> 00:01:17.579 thinking about going instead. Yeah, yeah. You 00:01:17.579 --> 00:01:19.480 know, when we kind of zoom out and think about 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:24.310 the big picture, this potential departure of... 00:01:25.069 --> 00:01:28.030 such a large part of our scientific talent pool, 00:01:28.510 --> 00:01:30.329 you know, it naturally raises some pretty big 00:01:30.329 --> 00:01:34.069 questions about the future strength of U .S. 00:01:34.230 --> 00:01:37.010 research and our standing on the global stage. 00:01:37.909 --> 00:01:39.530 Absolutely. And it's not just about research 00:01:39.530 --> 00:01:42.849 scientists. There are also indications of a noticeable 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:46.370 increase in U .S. medical professionals expressing 00:01:46.370 --> 00:01:50.549 interest in maybe moving to Canada. And Canadian 00:01:50.549 --> 00:01:52.569 medical licensing bodies and recruitment firms 00:01:52.569 --> 00:01:56.280 are observing this trend. So let's explore some 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.019 of the potential motivations behind that as well. 00:01:58.180 --> 00:02:00.620 Yeah, it seems like all these factors are kind 00:02:00.620 --> 00:02:04.359 of converging. The scientists may be considering 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:06.680 leaving, the medical professionals may be looking 00:02:06.680 --> 00:02:10.719 north. It really hints at a connected set of 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:13.479 concerns that we should pay attention to. Yeah, 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:16.400 OK, so let's start by looking at this survey 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:19.460 of scientists and what they're considering. And 00:02:19.460 --> 00:02:24.389 what it revealed was that more than 75 % of US 00:02:24.389 --> 00:02:27.150 scientists who responded are actually considering 00:02:27.150 --> 00:02:32.229 leaving the country. That's a pretty... It's 00:02:32.229 --> 00:02:35.069 a number. Yeah, a huge proportion, wouldn't you 00:02:35.069 --> 00:02:39.069 say? I think so, and the fact that Europe and 00:02:39.069 --> 00:02:42.430 Canada are being mentioned a lot as possible 00:02:42.430 --> 00:02:45.830 destinations, that probably isn't just by chance. 00:02:46.590 --> 00:02:50.050 It's probably because... there are already a 00:02:50.050 --> 00:02:53.009 lot of research connections. I mean, there's 00:02:53.009 --> 00:02:56.729 a level of cultural familiarity, maybe even like 00:02:56.729 --> 00:02:58.710 a sense that they share similar values when it 00:02:58.710 --> 00:03:01.830 comes to science. Right. What's really striking 00:03:01.830 --> 00:03:06.289 to me is the impact on those who are really just 00:03:06.289 --> 00:03:09.389 getting started in their research careers. And 00:03:09.389 --> 00:03:12.569 the survey really points to a very high percentage 00:03:12.569 --> 00:03:17.080 of post -graduate researchers and PhD students 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:21.300 thinking about leaving. And it was a very large 00:03:21.300 --> 00:03:23.680 majority in both of those groups. And I mean, 00:03:23.819 --> 00:03:26.849 that's a really significant. potential loss for 00:03:26.849 --> 00:03:29.490 the future of science in the US. You're absolutely 00:03:29.490 --> 00:03:33.449 right. That's a crucial point to highlight. Early 00:03:33.449 --> 00:03:36.349 career researchers, they're often the ones who 00:03:36.349 --> 00:03:39.889 are bringing fresh ideas, new perspectives, and 00:03:39.889 --> 00:03:42.770 really driving future breakthroughs. So if they 00:03:42.770 --> 00:03:45.930 leave, it could have long lasting effects on 00:03:45.930 --> 00:03:49.430 the whole system of scientific innovation in 00:03:49.430 --> 00:03:51.930 the US. And what's interesting is that the survey 00:03:51.930 --> 00:03:55.939 results, directly link this thinking about leaving 00:03:55.939 --> 00:03:59.000 to the disruptions that have happened since President 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:01.860 Trump's administration came in. So it suggests 00:04:01.860 --> 00:04:05.479 that there's a feeling of instability, or like 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:08.599 a sense of less opportunity here. Right, so based 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:14.060 on what we know, what are the main factors driving 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:17.680 this potential outward flow? Well, a big factor 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:22.329 seems to be the cuts to research funding. You 00:04:22.329 --> 00:04:24.310 know, it seems like the current administration 00:04:24.310 --> 00:04:28.810 has really cut back on research budgets and even 00:04:28.810 --> 00:04:31.899 stopped some... federally funded science programs 00:04:31.899 --> 00:04:34.319 as part of this broader cost -cutting effort. 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:38.319 And when that happens, scientists at all levels, 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:41.779 they're forced to reevaluate their career paths. 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:44.420 Right. And we also learned about these pretty 00:04:44.420 --> 00:04:47.339 widespread dismissals of federal employees, including 00:04:47.339 --> 00:04:50.000 scientists, which were then followed by rehiring 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:55.040 members of a court ruling. So that kind of back 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:58.019 and forth must create a lot of uncertainty for 00:04:58.019 --> 00:05:00.980 the scientific community. That's a lot of instability. 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:03.300 And when you add in the possibility of more job 00:05:03.300 --> 00:05:07.560 cuts. Reports of stricter immigration enforcement 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:11.339 and anxieties about academic freedom, you know, 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:14.600 it really does paint a picture of a research 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:17.139 landscape that's under a lot of pressure and 00:05:17.139 --> 00:05:19.100 a lot of unpredictability. Yeah. And you can 00:05:19.100 --> 00:05:22.699 imagine how concerning that must be for international 00:05:22.699 --> 00:05:25.420 researchers in particular who might already be 00:05:25.420 --> 00:05:27.240 feeling a little insecure about their position. 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:29.620 Right. And we have one specific example of a 00:05:29.620 --> 00:05:32.620 graduate student in plant genomics and agriculture 00:05:32.620 --> 00:05:36.680 who had their research funding and stipend totally 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:40.939 cut off because of the halting of support for 00:05:40.939 --> 00:05:42.899 the US Agency for International Development. 00:05:44.459 --> 00:05:48.420 And this really, really made them much more sure 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:51.009 about their decision. to pursue post -doc work 00:05:51.009 --> 00:05:54.629 overseas. It's almost like that personal story 00:05:54.629 --> 00:05:57.389 brings those wider policy changes into focus. 00:05:58.470 --> 00:06:00.629 Their field, which is the study of global food 00:06:00.629 --> 00:06:05.029 systems, it's now seen as less of a priority 00:06:05.029 --> 00:06:08.470 in the US. So they're actively looking at opportunities 00:06:08.470 --> 00:06:12.490 in Europe, Australia, Mexico. They're looking 00:06:12.490 --> 00:06:15.540 for places where... their expertise is actually 00:06:15.540 --> 00:06:17.899 valued and where they'll be supported. Yeah, 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:21.500 and like we talked about, early career scientists 00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:24.660 are really feeling vulnerable. They're particularly 00:06:24.660 --> 00:06:27.939 during this time. And it's such a critical point 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:30.300 in their professional development. Right, exactly. 00:06:30.579 --> 00:06:35.399 And these really fast shifts are disrupting all 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:38.540 of their carefully made plans. Yeah, they often 00:06:38.540 --> 00:06:42.279 have... less secure funding and fewer professional 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:44.980 connections, which makes them much more susceptible 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:48.699 to the immediate effects of funding cuts and 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:52.180 all these institutional changes. And we have 00:06:52.180 --> 00:06:54.259 this other example of the physician scientist 00:06:54.259 --> 00:06:57.379 at a big US university who had their research 00:06:57.379 --> 00:07:00.079 grant terminated, and now they and their scientist 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:03.120 spouse are looking for jobs in Canada. You know, 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:05.699 it just really highlights that even well -established 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:08.339 researchers are feeling the effects of all of 00:07:08.339 --> 00:07:10.740 this. Yeah, so it's kind of a disturbing picture 00:07:10.740 --> 00:07:12.920 of what's happening in the research world right 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:17.300 now. And we also got information about a situation 00:07:17.300 --> 00:07:22.519 where a researcher in Europe got a request from 00:07:22.519 --> 00:07:25.540 two colleagues in the US to actually withdraw 00:07:25.540 --> 00:07:28.939 a scientific paper. Wow, that's that's pretty 00:07:28.939 --> 00:07:31.699 unusual. It sounds very strange. Yeah. Yeah, 00:07:31.819 --> 00:07:34.319 it's really interesting. You know the reason 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:37.589 that they gave for wanting to withdraw the paper 00:07:37.589 --> 00:07:40.870 was fear. They were afraid of being deported 00:07:40.870 --> 00:07:44.230 or losing their jobs if their names appeared 00:07:44.230 --> 00:07:48.050 on a paper about evolution. And one of the co 00:07:48.050 --> 00:07:50.790 -authors had already lost their job because a 00:07:50.790 --> 00:07:53.189 government grant got canceled. They were legally 00:07:53.189 --> 00:07:57.410 in the US. But all of this uncertainty created 00:07:57.410 --> 00:08:01.639 by... by the current situation led to this really, 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:05.740 really unusual action. Yeah, and it's important 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:08.750 to point out that as far as we know... research 00:08:08.750 --> 00:08:12.189 on evolution hasn't been specifically targeted 00:08:12.189 --> 00:08:15.829 by any policies. But this incident really does 00:08:15.829 --> 00:08:18.490 show that there's a lot of anxiety. And there's 00:08:18.490 --> 00:08:21.970 a potential for self -censorship within the scientific 00:08:21.970 --> 00:08:24.449 community. Yeah, it's not just about research 00:08:24.449 --> 00:08:28.170 areas that might be actually banned. It's more 00:08:28.170 --> 00:08:31.850 that this chilling effect seems to be spreading 00:08:31.850 --> 00:08:36.049 to fields that could be seen as maybe controversial 00:08:36.049 --> 00:08:38.740 or politically sensitive. and that can really 00:08:38.740 --> 00:08:41.320 stifle the free exchange of scientific ideas, 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:44.639 which is so, so important for making progress. 00:08:45.820 --> 00:08:48.519 And then there's the fact that NOAA has reportedly 00:08:48.519 --> 00:08:52.299 terminated a really substantial amount of grant 00:08:52.299 --> 00:08:54.960 funding across a whole bunch of research areas. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:58.059 And that just really emphasizes how broad these 00:08:58.059 --> 00:09:00.720 financial impacts are. Right. And it's having 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:03.860 this ripple effect because there are reports 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:07.799 of layoffs at health and science agencies and 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:11.740 universities are cutting back on the number of 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:13.279 graduate student positions they're offering. 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:16.480 Yeah. So it's disrupting the whole pipeline. 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:19.639 And so this is potentially disrupting the whole 00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:22.460 future pipeline. Exactly. Of scientific talent. 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:25.899 Yeah. It's really worrisome. Yeah. You know, 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:29.179 the fact that this European researcher felt like 00:09:29.179 --> 00:09:31.539 it was just too dangerous for their American 00:09:31.539 --> 00:09:35.690 colleagues to even publish the paper. It really 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:40.289 speaks volumes about the perceived threats to 00:09:40.289 --> 00:09:43.929 academic freedom and professional security and 00:09:43.929 --> 00:09:45.990 the researcher who was supposed to edit the paper, 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:49.110 they expressed... real heartbreak over this. 00:09:49.370 --> 00:09:51.789 They talked about how it's damaging the normal 00:09:51.789 --> 00:09:54.429 way that science is supposed to work. Yeah, and 00:09:54.429 --> 00:09:57.029 even the head of NOAA, while they acknowledged 00:09:57.029 --> 00:10:00.309 how important it is to have open inquiry in science, 00:10:01.090 --> 00:10:03.529 reportedly they themselves had claimed to experience 00:10:03.529 --> 00:10:06.370 censorship. Yeah, it's really a... It's a really 00:10:06.370 --> 00:10:09.029 complex situation. Yeah, it's complex and it's 00:10:09.029 --> 00:10:11.990 kind of contradictory. And the paper that they 00:10:11.990 --> 00:10:14.669 were talking about, it was focusing on evolution 00:10:14.669 --> 00:10:17.950 in both living and non -living... and how it 00:10:17.950 --> 00:10:21.009 relates to the search for life beyond Earth. 00:10:21.629 --> 00:10:23.850 And I mean, that just shows how fundamental this 00:10:23.850 --> 00:10:27.909 research is. And how it could be affected by 00:10:27.909 --> 00:10:31.850 this climate of fear and uncertainty. And it 00:10:31.850 --> 00:10:34.509 seems like these concerns are being felt even 00:10:34.509 --> 00:10:38.289 beyond US borders. There's a report that the 00:10:38.289 --> 00:10:40.690 French National Center for Scientific Research 00:10:40.690 --> 00:10:43.730 has advised its scientists who are traveling 00:10:43.730 --> 00:10:47.940 to the US to be aware that their electronic devices 00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:51.000 might be scrutinized and that things they say 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:54.419 in critical conversations could be used against 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:57.240 them. Yeah, that's a pretty significant development. 00:10:57.720 --> 00:11:00.200 You know, it suggests that international scientific 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:03.200 organizations are starting to see the U .S. research 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:07.159 environment as potentially risky. And that's 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:09.200 why they're giving these specific warnings to 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.320 their researchers. Right. And there was that 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:15.000 incident where a French researcher was initially 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:18.379 denied entry. Yeah. And even though there's an 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:21.600 official explanation that probably contributed 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.789 to this feeling of uneasiness. Absolutely. And 00:11:24.789 --> 00:11:27.389 we're even hearing that scientists in other countries 00:11:27.389 --> 00:11:30.370 are hesitant to even travel through the U .S. 00:11:30.370 --> 00:11:32.710 Right. You know, even just for layovers. Yeah. 00:11:32.889 --> 00:11:36.090 That level of concern could really hinder international 00:11:36.090 --> 00:11:38.710 scientific collaboration. Yeah, absolutely. And 00:11:38.710 --> 00:11:43.500 we have this example of a molecular biology PhD 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:47.320 student in Canada who no longer sees the U .S. 00:11:47.340 --> 00:11:50.659 as a viable option for their career because of 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:53.679 the funding situation. It's another example of 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:56.220 this potential brain drain. Right. And there 00:11:56.220 --> 00:11:59.919 is this really stark comment from an investigator 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:02.500 at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Right. 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:07.779 And they talked about this fast, broad, unprecedented 00:12:07.779 --> 00:12:12.870 dismantling of parts of science. It's a really 00:12:12.870 --> 00:12:15.769 powerful statement, and it really highlights 00:12:15.769 --> 00:12:18.929 the seriousness of the situation, and the potential 00:12:18.929 --> 00:12:21.490 for a major loss of international expertise. 00:12:21.669 --> 00:12:23.509 Right, and then we have a researcher in Connecticut, 00:12:23.570 --> 00:12:26.370 and they pointed out that their specific field 00:12:26.370 --> 00:12:28.970 isn't under immediate threat, like some other 00:12:28.970 --> 00:12:31.309 fields are, such as the climate change research, 00:12:31.389 --> 00:12:35.100 but they still see... what they call a dangerous 00:12:35.100 --> 00:12:37.799 trajectory, because they're worried that the 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:39.860 government might start deciding what's acceptable 00:12:39.860 --> 00:12:43.259 for scientists to research. You know, that raises 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:46.519 some really fundamental questions about the independence 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:49.379 of scientific investigation. Yeah, so let's shift 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:52.460 our focus now to the medical field, where we're 00:12:52.460 --> 00:12:56.179 seeing this really notable increase in interest 00:12:56.179 --> 00:12:59.399 from US doctors in potentially moving to Canada. 00:12:59.539 --> 00:13:03.259 And the numbers that we're seeing are Quite surprising. 00:13:03.500 --> 00:13:05.779 Yeah, I mean, the Medical Council of Canada reported 00:13:05.779 --> 00:13:11.139 this dramatic increase. It was over 580 % in 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:13.580 US medical graduates setting up accounts on their 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:16.399 physician application portal. And this was just 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:19.720 between October of last year and March of this 00:13:19.720 --> 00:13:22.620 year, compared to the same period the year before. 00:13:22.620 --> 00:13:25.559 I mean, that's a massive jump in a really short 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:27.700 amount of time. Yeah, and their support services 00:13:27.700 --> 00:13:30.159 have also seen a big increase in inquiries from 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:32.279 the US. Yeah, it's about a third more. in the 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:34.559 past couple of months. So it really does suggest 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:36.759 that it's not just people browsing. People are 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:39.720 actively looking for information about how to 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:42.940 make this move. And this is also backed up by 00:13:42.940 --> 00:13:45.720 reports from health care recruitment firms in 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:49.299 Canada. One firm in Nova Scotia said that almost 00:13:49.299 --> 00:13:51.820 every doctor they're talking to right now is 00:13:51.820 --> 00:13:54.899 from the US. And that includes both American 00:13:54.899 --> 00:13:57.720 citizens and Canadians who went to medical school 00:13:57.720 --> 00:14:00.419 in the US and are now thinking about coming back. 00:14:00.539 --> 00:14:05.100 Yeah, so what are the main reasons that these 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:09.460 medical professionals are giving for wanting 00:14:09.460 --> 00:14:12.220 to go north? Concerns about the political climate 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:15.279 and the changes in health care, especially related 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:18.740 to women's health, are really big factors. The 00:14:18.740 --> 00:14:22.480 information specifically talks about worries 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:27.059 about access to abortion services and... gender 00:14:27.059 --> 00:14:31.899 -affirming care in some US states. So that seems 00:14:31.899 --> 00:14:34.600 to be driving a lot of this dissatisfaction. 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:36.639 So it sounds like it's not just about their professional 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:38.820 lives. It's also about what they want for their 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:41.340 families. Exactly. You know, a lot of these doctors 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:43.259 are saying they're worried about raising their 00:14:43.259 --> 00:14:46.100 families in what they see as a safer and more 00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:49.460 supportive society. So it seems like they're 00:14:49.460 --> 00:14:52.679 thinking about their overall quality of life, 00:14:52.700 --> 00:14:55.120 not just their medical careers. And it sounds 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:57.190 like many of them. of them. Yeah, a lot of them 00:14:57.190 --> 00:14:59.490 already taking concrete steps to move. Yeah, 00:14:59.509 --> 00:15:02.110 they're not just exploring the idea. They're 00:15:02.110 --> 00:15:05.429 actively taking steps to relocate and to get 00:15:05.429 --> 00:15:08.570 their medical credentials recognized in Canada. 00:15:08.769 --> 00:15:12.370 Right. And, you know, that that really shows 00:15:12.370 --> 00:15:15.029 their commitment to making this move. Exactly. 00:15:15.190 --> 00:15:18.289 The fact that recruitment firms are seeing doctors 00:15:18.289 --> 00:15:20.330 who are already in the process of relocating 00:15:20.330 --> 00:15:24.129 it. it indicates a real seriousness about this. 00:15:24.470 --> 00:15:27.549 And Canadian provinces are also actively trying 00:15:27.549 --> 00:15:31.039 to... take advantage of this increased interest. 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:33.440 You know, provinces like Manitoba and British 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:37.100 Columbia are specifically recruiting U .S. physicians, 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:40.100 and they're highlighting these more streamlined 00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:43.080 processes for getting licensed. Right, and British 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:45.019 Columbia is even trying to speed up the recognition 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:48.659 of credentials for U .S. trained doctors who 00:15:48.659 --> 00:15:50.159 have certification from the American Board of 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:52.279 Medical Specialties. You know, that seems to 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:55.220 be a direct strategy to attract doctors who are 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:58.740 thinking about leaving the U .S. trying to reduce 00:15:58.740 --> 00:16:02.879 the bureaucratic obstacles and the British Columbia 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:05.860 Minister of Health even said something about 00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:08.580 it being an unprecedented opportunity because 00:16:08.580 --> 00:16:10.759 of the uncertainty and chaos happening south 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:14.460 of our border. So it really does show you how 00:16:14.460 --> 00:16:17.960 proactive some Canadian provinces are being. 00:16:17.980 --> 00:16:21.419 They're directly appealing to US healthcare professionals 00:16:21.419 --> 00:16:24.980 who might be looking for a more stable and more 00:16:24.980 --> 00:16:27.200 politically aligned environment for their careers. 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:31.840 So as we've been talking about, the information 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:34.659 you've shared really does point to a potentially 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:38.120 really big shift happening in the US scientific 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:40.620 and medical community, especially in these early 00:16:40.620 --> 00:16:43.539 months of this new administration. And it seems 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:47.340 like this combination of things, like the cuts 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:50.860 to research funding, the concerns about academic 00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:54.980 freedom and this perceived unfavorable political 00:16:54.980 --> 00:16:58.830 climate. motivating a lot of talented people 00:16:58.830 --> 00:17:02.590 to look for opportunities elsewhere. That situation 00:17:02.590 --> 00:17:05.990 with the withdrawn research paper, even though 00:17:05.990 --> 00:17:10.450 it wasn't directly about funding, it really illustrates 00:17:10.450 --> 00:17:13.809 the anxieties and the uncertainties that are 00:17:13.809 --> 00:17:16.630 just permeating the research environment. I mean, 00:17:16.730 --> 00:17:18.769 the fact that scientists are feeling like they 00:17:18.769 --> 00:17:22.529 have to avoid certain research topics out of 00:17:22.529 --> 00:17:26.690 fear. It's a really troubling development for 00:17:26.690 --> 00:17:30.029 the advancement of knowledge. And then you have 00:17:30.029 --> 00:17:32.569 this increased interest from US medical doctors 00:17:32.569 --> 00:17:36.269 in going to Canada. Yeah, and it really underscores 00:17:36.269 --> 00:17:40.700 this trend of... skilled professionals looking 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:43.420 for more stable places and maybe even more politically 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:45.740 compatible environments, not just for their careers, 00:17:45.900 --> 00:17:48.380 but for their families as well. You know, this 00:17:48.380 --> 00:17:50.759 whole situation raises some big questions for 00:17:50.759 --> 00:17:54.880 you, for all of us. And for the future of science 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:58.500 and medicine in the United States, what are the 00:17:58.500 --> 00:18:01.940 long -term consequences of this potential loss 00:18:01.940 --> 00:18:05.119 of expertise? How could it affect innovation? 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:07.900 How could it affect health care? And how could 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:10.079 it affect the... the United States standing in 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:13.460 the global scientific community. These are really, 00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:15.740 really important things to think about as we 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:18.799 move forward. Yeah, we really encourage you to 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:23.940 look into these issues more deeply. find more 00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:27.599 conversations on related topics by following 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:31.319 meteorologist Rob Jones on Instagram, meteorologist 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:34.380 on TikTok, TV meteorologist, and on YouTube, 00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:37.160 follow Rob Jones Hurricane, where you can also 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:39.700 find the Meteorology Matters podcast playlist. 00:18:40.180 --> 00:18:44.279 This is a rapidly changing situation, and it 00:18:44.279 --> 00:18:47.440 really does warrant your continued attention 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:50.130 and some real critical thinking. Yeah, and one 00:18:50.130 --> 00:18:53.309 final thought for you to consider is how these 00:18:53.309 --> 00:18:56.650 potential shifts might not just affect the US, 00:18:56.809 --> 00:18:59.490 but could actually reshape the scientific and 00:18:59.490 --> 00:19:02.210 medical landscapes in other countries, especially 00:19:02.210 --> 00:19:04.509 in those countries that are seen as offering 00:19:04.509 --> 00:19:07.990 more stable and supportive environments, both 00:19:07.990 --> 00:19:10.609 for research and and for health care professionals. 00:19:10.789 --> 00:19:13.109 Yeah, that's that's really interesting to think 00:19:13.109 --> 00:19:15.630 about. It's something to keep an eye on. Yeah, 00:19:15.750 --> 00:19:16.150 absolutely.