This week, I joined hundreds of National Institutes of Health (NIH) staff in signing a public letter to Director Jay Bhattacharya urging immediate action to protect academic freedom and scientific integrity. One of our key asks: reinstate the people and teams — like the communications team I was part of — that have long ensured the agency’s transparency and public trust.

As a science writer and editor at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, I worked on a small team that created public-facing content on health topics like oral cancer, chronic jaw pain, opioids and fluoride. We also aimed to make taxpayer-funded research accessible to the public. Our content was free, accurate and written in a way that was easy to understand. Similar teams across NIH provided trusted health information and research transparency on topics from aging to addiction to infectious disease. These roles have now been eliminated, despite a congressional mandate to communicate about NIH research clearly to the American people.

Like most federal employees, I was hired for my skills — not my politics. I hold degrees in biochemistry, English literature and science writing, and I’ve spent over a decade working in non-profit and research communications. I joined NIH less than a year ago — thrilled to serve the public at the country’s premier medical research institution.

But on Feb. 14, I was unlawfully fired by the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), along with thousands of other so-called probationary federal employees — those with under two years of service or recently promoted. Because we had limited appeal rights, we were easy targets in an ideological attempt to shrink the workforce.

The process was rushed and chaotic. Some non-probationary staff were mistakenly fired and rehired. Termination letters labeled us “poor performers,” even in cases like mine, where glowing reviews and promotion plans said otherwise. Many of us were placed in limbo — paid but barred from working — while legal challenges made their way through the courts. An April 1 ruling says I must be reinstated. But there’s no job to return to: My entire communications team was terminated that same day.

I was just one casualty in a mass reduction of about 10,000 health agency staff under the Department of Health and Human Services. At NIDCR alone, our health pages drew 4.7 million visits last year. Now, there’s no one left to answer patient calls, help the public navigate research studies or update life-saving information on cancer, chronic pain or dental care. This isn’t just a staffing issue — it’s a public health crisis.

And it’s ongoing. We remain on administrative leave while NIH pays us not to work. Courts will eventually sort out the legality of our firings, but in the meantime, critical services are paused, and trust in government health information is eroded. Far from “efficient,” this is reckless and dangerous.

Worse, this was just the beginning. Deeper cuts are in play under the guise of “reductions in force.” Those cuts have been equally chaotic — riddled with errors, lawsuits and rehiring attempts after agencies realized they fired the wrong people by mistake. Budget cuts herald further losses of staff and programs.

You can’t eliminate entire teams overnight and expect a complex agency like NIH to function. Scientific progress requires everyone: researchers, lab techs, HR, facilities, IT — and yes, communicators who translate research into language the public can understand. Without that link, public trust breaks down. Public health suffers.

And let’s be clear: These aren’t neutral budget decisions. The elimination of communications teams appears designed to centralize control over health messaging, silence dissent and make it harder for the public to access facts. That’s especially chilling in an age of rampant misinformation — made worse when health leaders themselves spread pseudoscience.

The administration must explain how gutting communication supports transparency or efficiency. Why are the very roles they labeled “waste” now being rehired? And how can they defend this process while patients, scientists and taxpayers pay the price?

While we wait for answers, the rest of us must speak up. Fired staff need to contact the media and their elected officials. Those who haven’t been fired yet must organize, push back against misinformation and refuse to accept this dangerous new normal.

The current administration is waging a war on science, transparency and public health. If we all speak up and stand up, we might just stand a chance.

Bushraa Khatib served as a science writer and editor for the National Institutes of Health. She lives in Maryland.