Key facts
- The Trump administration has canceled millions of dollars in federal grants for Alzheimer's disease research at Emory University and the University of Pittsburgh.
- The canceled grants were intended to study the impacts of racism and discrimination on long-term brain health.
- Researchers involved stated that the concepts studied are scientifically valid and that the cancellations represent political interference.
- The NIH director cited that the projects no longer align with NIH's priorities and lacked measurable variables, specifically questioning the use of self-reported discrimination data.
- This action follows previous, similar cancellations of DEI-related grants that faced legal challenges.
The Trump administration has canceled federal grants for Alzheimer's disease research at Emory University and the University of Pittsburgh, with researchers suggesting the move is politically motivated and targets studies on the impacts of racism and discrimination. At least three grants totaling $15 million were affected, impacting research into how discrimination influences long-term brain health.
Researchers like Ann Cohen and Andrea Rosso from the University of Pittsburgh, and Negar Fani from Emory University, expressed that the canceled research concepts are scientifically valid and that the cancellations constitute political interference. They noted that the NIH director cited a lack of alignment with NIH's priorities and the absence of concrete, measurable variables, specifically questioning the inclusion of self-reported discrimination data in their studies.
These cancellations follow a pattern by the administration to remove topics perceived as related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from the National Institutes of Health's funding portfolio. While previous DEI-related grant cancellations were challenged in court and partially allowed by the Supreme Court, the current cancellations are not covered by that litigation, leading some to believe they are being used as new legal test cases.
Researchers also reported significant delays in funding for months leading up to the cancellations, forcing them to operate on limited resources and impacting personnel. The NIH's stated reasons for cancellation, particularly the dismissal of self-reported measures as unscientific, have been met with frustration from researchers who argue it demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of epidemiological methods.