The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has canceled a diversity-based graduate fellowship program that supports dozens of aspiring neuroscientists, according to an email obtained by The Transmitter. The cancellation extends to active awards.
The NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research, also known as the F31 diversity fellowship, provided up to five years of support for students pursuing a Ph.D. Eligible applicants included students from racial or ethnic groups that are underrepresented in health-related sciences; students with a disability; and students from rural areas or other “disadvantaged backgrounds,” such as those who have qualified for a Pell Grant or grew up in the foster-care system. The award was separate from the F31 fellowship, which is open to all graduate students and remains in place.
In January, neuroscientists expressed worry about the future of the diversity fellowship and similar diversity-based funding mechanisms after President Trump issued an executive order calling for the end of diversity-related programs in the federal government. Since then, some diversity-based fellowship applicants wondered if their submissions for the next award cycle would ever be reviewed, and others waited for promised funds that never arrived.
This latest move from NIDA marks an escalation in that the agency has canceled active awards for an entire fellowship program.
“I was shocked, but also not surprised,” says F31 diversity awardee Sara Mills-Huffnagle, a graduate student in Jennifer Nyland’s lab at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. Mills-Huffnagle just finished her second year of funding and expected one more; now she aims to defend her Ph.D. earlier than planned.
For the past few months, people reassured Mills-Huffnagle that her fellowship was safe because she had received the notice of award, and the terminations targeted diversity-related research questions, which she does not study. But Mills-Huffnagle says she was skeptical about that reasoning. “Why would the changes that are taking place now, why would they stop there? Why wouldn’t they come after a diversity-related program?”
T
he cancellations are “creeping back and going towards the worst case,” says Talia Lerner, associate professor of neuroscience, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University. A graduate student in her lab had an F31 diversity fellowship from NIDA and received notice of its cancellation on 28 April. The student had anticipated two more years of funding, “and that should have been enough for them to graduate,” Lerner says. “But now we have to figure out what to do.”The F31 diversity program was terminated “due to changes in NIH/HHS priorities,” according to an email reviewed by The Transmitter that was addressed to “NIDA F31D Recipients” and signed “NIDA Program.” The email states: “The individual award will terminate no later than the end of the current budget period. However, awards may terminate sooner based on NIH/HHS priorities. When awards are terminated, grantees will receive a revised notice of award which will include close out documentation requirements.” Institutions “can continue to draw funds on any active award for allowed costs,” but “further awards will not be made, and NIDA will not permit no-cost extensions.”
It is unclear if the termination extends to diversity-based fellowships awarded by other institutes within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A representative of the agency declined to answer questions about the status of the other programs and instead provided The Transmitter with an emailed statement: “NIH is taking action to terminate research funding that is not aligned with NIH and HHS priorities. We remain dedicated to restoring our agency to its tradition of upholding gold-standard, evidence-based science. As we begin to Make America Healthy Again, it’s important to prioritize research that directly affects the health of Americans. We will leave no stone unturned in identifying the root causes of the chronic disease epidemic as part of our mission to Make America Healthy Again.”
Losing a fellowship like this “makes you question your self-worth,” Mills-Huffnagle says, particularly for trainees who have had to overcome additional barriers in their careers. “It’s a little bit of a slap in the face.”
