Nichols

"I immediately knew what the impact was," Nichols, a Boston University associate professor of global health and infectious disease mathematical modeller, told Salon in a video call.

Nichols said she wracked her brain over how she could make clear to others just how devastating the cuts to U.S. foreign aid would be for the world.

The hope, Nichols said, was that it would resonate with others and galvanize them to advocate for the government to change course.

In the face of such anticipated loss at the hands of her native government, Nichols said she's battling a "general feeling of powerlessness" not unlike other Americans, particularly those on the left.

Nichols' calculates the estimates from previous research on how changes in policy regarding treatments of infectious diseases or aid distribution affect health outcomes, like deaths or transmissions.