U.S Government health information censorship: what is happening, and what can we do? Summer Conference 2025

Isobel Eddyshaw, Academic Liaison Librarian at the University of Exeter and Keith Nockels, Academic Librarian at the University of Leicester

Abstract

Since the beginning of the second Trump administration in January 2025, we have witnessed a deeply concerning and ever-increasing wave of censorship sweep across the U.S. This includes (but is not limited to) the deletion or modification of datasets and web pages across various federal agencies, the cancellation of research grants deemed to be associated with diversity, equity and inclusion, and direct threats or sanctions inflicted on individuals, universities and journal editors who are considered to be in opposition to the administration’s agenda.

Within the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), there have been large-scale restructures including the loss of around 20,000 workers, and the installation of vaccine-sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services. While (as of 16/05/2025) we have not yet seen any major or deliberately malicious changes to access to PubMed, which is produced by HHS, there are concerning indications that we may not be able to continue relying on stable access to the platform.

This talk will provide an overview of the current situation in the U.S as it relates to global health information and research, with a particular focus on PubMed. We will discuss what is being done to safeguard and rescue affected data, and how changes can be monitored. We will also consider what available alternatives there are to PubMed, should this become necessary, and discuss alternative resources that could exist in the future.

Please do be aware that as this is a quickly changing topic, some content is likely to be updated in order to factor in new developments as they arrive.

Biographies

Isobel:

I have been working as an Academic Liaison Librarian for Health and Life sciences at the University of Exeter for the last two years. I teach information literacy and research skills to students and staff, and spend a lot of time wrangling Medline in its various iterations!

BlueSky Social Media Handle: @‌izzyed.bsky.social

Keith:

I am the Academic Librarian supporting health related courses at the University of Leicester.  I teach referencing, reference management software and literature searching to undergraduate and taught course postgraduate students, including those undertaking a systematic review or similar.

Summer Conference 2025: Stop! Collaborate and Listen: Partnerships in Libraries

UHMLG’s 2025 Summer Conference brings together a range of fantastic speakers to look at partnerships within libraries. The conference is taking place in person at the Hive in Worcester and spans two half days (13-14 June, 2025). Our core audience is UK / Republic of Ireland health and medical librarians from the Higher Education and NHS / health sectors, but we welcome delegates from any area of librarianship, and from anywhere in the world.

More information / Book your place

For full information about the conference, and to book your place, please visit our Summer Conference 2025 page.