The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has canceled upcoming meetings with minimal explanation, raising anxieties among scientific researchers across the country. The move comes amidst a period of transition and uncertainty within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), of which the NIH is a part. Researchers worry about the potential impact of these cancellations on vital research projects and the overall functioning of federal health agencies.
Scientific researchers across the nation are expressing anxieties following the National Institutes of Health's ( NIH ) abrupt cancellation of meetings this week with minimal explanation. This move comes amidst heightened concerns from federal health officials regarding the NIH 's direction under the new administration. The NIH , the world's largest public funder of biomedical research , invests over $40 billion annually in research endeavors.
The agency convenes scientists from academic institutions nationwide in groups known as 'study sections' to determine the most crucial research projects to receive funding. Kristin Starbird, a cancer structural biologist and professor at UNC Chapel Hill, revealed that her study section was scheduled to meet next week. On Wednesday, she received an email notifying her of the cancellation. The email provided a vague explanation, stating that the meeting was canceled and that further details couldn't be offered at the time. It concluded by thanking the participants for their service to the NIH. Starbird emphasized that these meetings are not easily rescheduled due to numerous moving parts involving different institutions operating on distinct timetables. A delay, especially an indefinite one like this, could significantly impede vital cancer research, she warned.Starbird acknowledges the possibility that this decision represents a temporary pause on meetings to allow the new Trump administration time to acclimate. Indeed, a freeze on public communications for the entire Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), of which the NIH is a part, has a scheduled end date of February 1st, according to a memo obtained by NPR. 'I can understand that potentially,' Starbird stated, 'but I don't understand the lack of communication. I also don't think the people who just made that decision fully understand what that may mean in terms of implications for really important and critical research.' The extent to which this move is connected to the communication memo issued by acting HHS Secretary Dr. Dorothy Fink on Tuesday remains unclear. This memo instructs leaders of the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other health agencies to refrain from most external communications until approved by a presidential appointee.NPR has also obtained an emailed memo indicating that travel is suspended for HHS staff, and extended job offers are being rescinded. HHS employees who spoke to NPR expressed concern and confusion regarding the potential delays in submitted information and documents. The impact on regularly scheduled updates for infectious disease dashboards, tracking metrics like COVID-19 and influenza, remains uncertain. Notably, the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report did not publish at its usual time on Thursday. Some individuals within the scientific community fear that these developments signal a new level of political control over federal health and research agencies
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