Researchers from the University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science have found that recent terminations of federal grants aimed at research on health equity and gender identity have disproportionately affected scientists from the very communities those studies are intended to support. The findings were published on May 5, 2026 at The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.
These grant freezes didn’t just disrupt specific research programs, they also disrupted the careers of many scientists studying the health of marginalized communities. When funding for these topics disappears, the researchers with the most expertise in them are often the ones most directly affected.”
Rebecca Fielding-Miller, PhD, associate professor at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and senior author of the study
The NIH is the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research, investing approximately $47 billion annually. Because of the scale of this investment, US research priorities help shape the direction of health science innovations worldwide.
Between January and May 2025, the NIH ended more than 2,000 research grants after the agency’s priorities shifted. Many of the grants affected focused on health disparities, including research related to BIPOC and sexual and gender minority communities. In addition, approximately 600 grants were canceled through institution-wide actions aimed at addressing alleged anti-Semitism on campus.
To understand who was most affected, the research team investigated researchers whose grants were terminated documented in the Grant Witness database. Of the 1,918 researchers invited to participate, 941 completed the survey. In order to categorize complaints based on justification, the researchers were asked to choose from eight possible reasons for the complaint. For example, participants were considered to have received a fairness-related complaint if they stated that the grant was terminated due to “amorphous justice goals” and a gender-related termination if they stated that the grant was terminated due to “gender identity”.
The analysis found that nearly half (48.6%) of researchers whose grants were terminated for equity-related reasons identified as BIPOC. Among grants terminated for gender-related reasons, 60% of researchers identified as sexual or gender minorities, including 16.5% who were transgender or non-binary. The disparities extend beyond mere representation. Among researchers whose grants were terminated, BIPOC women and transgender or nonbinary researchers were nearly three times more likely to receive an equity-related termination than white men. Sexual and gender minority researchers were more than 11 times more likely to receive a sex-related termination than heterosexual gender-related researchers.
The study also found that 20.5% of researchers affected by institution-wide layoffs linked to alleged anti-Semitism identified as Jewish, raising questions about the effectiveness of these actions as a mechanism to protect Jewish researchers.
The findings build on previous research showing that inequities already exist in the biomedical funding system. Previous studies have found that scientists from underrepresented backgrounds are more likely to study health disparities or community-based topics that historically receive less funding.
“When funding disruptions disproportionately affect researchers focusing on health disparities, the consequences go far beyond individual careers,” Fielding-Miller said. “They also shape which scientific questions are asked and whose health ultimately receives attention.”
The authors caution that the effects could persist for years. Because research careers and funding success tend to build cumulatively over time, the loss of even one grant can derail projects, disrupt community partnerships, and limit future funding opportunities, particularly for early-career researchers.
Looking ahead, the researchers say restoring and maintaining funding for equity-related health research will be critical to maintaining a diverse scientific workforce and ensuring that biomedical research reflects the needs of all communities.
“If we want a scientific enterprise that serves everyone,” Fielding-Miller said, “we need to ensure that scientists who study the health of marginalized communities can continue their work.”
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