1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Today I take pen in hand to write in support of the NIH scientists and employees and their Bethesda Declaration of Dissent to Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the Healthy Agency. While the scientists letter was polite in tone, it echoes the fears we all have of mismanagement by Bhattacharya and other political appointees at the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya’s deliberate and systematic stifling of scientific inquiry and termination of vital research projects are serious concerns that threaten progress on critical issues impacting public health, and puts whole populations at risk, and for what? The dismissal of nearly $9.5 billion in NIH grants, many nearing completion, represents a tragic waste of years of effort and millions in taxpayer dollars. This will have serious side effects on the every kind of research and the long term cures for the next generation of Americans. Abandoning studies on health disparities, COVID-19, climate change impacts and other crucial areas will only impede our ability to address major challenges. Biomedical research is a cornerstone of improving human wellbeing, driving innovations that have dramatically reduced mortality from diseases like heart disease, childhood cancers and infectious illnesses over recent decades. Politicizing science and substituting ideology for evidence-based policymaking puts all these hard-won gains at risk. I urge you to heed the Bethesda Declaration's call to restore grants halted for non-scientific reasons, reverse policies disrupting research infrastructure and international collaboration, and realign the NIH's priorities with its core mission of advancing rigorous, ethical studies to benefit public health. Upholding scientific integrity is vital for tackling our greatest medical needs and securing continued biomedical leadership for the United States. But it’s foremost a public health and national security issue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.