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NIH
The quiet engine of science is being dismantled
 

NOTE: This article was originally published on July 23, 2025 by Your Local Epidemiologist on Substack. 

Author: Katelyn Jetelina, PhD, MPH
           Elizabeth Marnik, PhD

Years ago, when I was a professor, I studied how violence spreads through communities (much like infectious diseases) and how to interrupt the spread. My research was funded through federal grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Several federal grants supported my research on the mental health of police officers—people who routinely witness traumatic events that affect not just their well-being (think PTSD), but also how they engage with the communities they serve. Like many researchers, I became involved in this work because it held personal significance for me. My husband was a police officer.

The officers we worked with—many of whom are MAGA supporters (and our dear friends!)—weren’t passive subjects. They were collaborators. They opened their doors, welcomed us into their stations, shared coffee, and helped us ask and answer hard questions. Together, we eventually co-developed solutions that became policy across departments! The same grant that funded this work also supported the training of PhD students, many of whom continue this work today, grounded in relationships they built with officers years ago.

This is the power of public research. When done well, it doesn’t just answer questions; it builds community, capacity, and long-term change for a healthier future.

I’ve been thinking about that project a lot lately. If it were up for funding this year, it would’ve been discontinued due to executive orders. Not one of those officers, regardless of political leaning, would have been okay with it because it was their project, too. However, those officers never really knew NIH/NIOSH was the invisible engine behind the magic.

In just six months, more than 5,500 research projects have been halted. That’s 5,500 unanswered questions. Thousands of communities left behind. Researchers stuck in limbo. And a generation of training lost.

All of this is happening quietly, strategically, and politically. But we in science and public institutions must also own our part: We haven’t done enough to make this work visible to the people it impacts. This invisibility has consequences. Because when people don’t see science working for them, it becomes easy to tear it down.

The good news is it’s not too late. There are real steps we can take now and in the future to change course.

What is the NIH, anyway?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the world’s largest public funder of research. It’s not one agency but a collection of 27 institutes and centers, each focused on specific areas like cancer (NCI), infectious diseases (NIAID), aging (NIA), and mental health (NIMH). NIH isn’t the only research engine in the United States (for example, there’s also the National Science Foundation that funds NASA), but NIH is by far the biggest.

Getting a federal research grant is no small feat. Scientists spend months writing proposals, which are then reviewed rigorously by peers. Only the most promising, relevant, innovative, and well-designed research makes the cut, which is usually only the top 10-20% of applications. Securing a grant is a huge deal for your career. It is often the only way a scientist’s salary is paid, but it is also a guarantee that you’ll work on what you’re most passionate about for a few years.

What's Being Cut and How

Research funding budgets rise and fall every fiscal year, depending on Congress's priorities, but this year is dramatically different. At the NIH alone, approximately 5,500 fewer research projects are being funded due to executive decisions, which is significantly lower than in any other year, as shown below.

Some of these projects support teaching and training the next generation of researchers, but funding has literally flatlined.

These cuts are currently being made through executive orders in three ways:

♦        Cutting entire institutes, such as the Fogarty International Center, which supports global health research and pandemic preparedness.

♦        Targeting research topics that don’t align with political agendas, like occupational health (my project), climate and health, LGBTQ+ health, gun violence prevention, healthy equity, misinformation, and vaccine confidence.

♦        Targeting specific institutions that get awarded funds, like all grants to the Harvard School of Public Health that were cancelled last month.

And even where programs haven’t been cut outright, they’re in limbo. Peer review panels are stalled. People handling grants (called program officers) are eerily reading from scripts when you call them. Researchers are waiting on funding decisions that should have arrived months ago.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. The Congressiona