Navigating Shifts in Health Equity Research Funding Priorities: A Nursing PhD Candidate’s Perspective

“I don’t mention my background to suggest that I’m unique, but rather to show how my experiences reflect those of many patients who would benefit from research designed by people who understand their needs.”

AJN has recently discussed the impacts of research budget cuts in The Repercussions of Trump Administration Cuts to NIH and Research Funding and Maternal Health: Funding Cuts Amid an Ongoing Crisis. As a third year in Columbia University’s nursing PhD program, I have also been directly impacted from recent government funding changes.

An application withdrawn without review.

The F31 is a predoctoral fellowship through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that provides funding for dissertation research and training. I applied for the version designated for applicants from underrepresented backgrounds, following the application guidance at the time. But a few weeks ago, I was notified that my application had been retroactively withdrawn without review, as it no longer aligned with the current administration’s research priorities. My application was not transferred to the general F31 pool for funding consideration, which made the decision feel especially unfair.

I spent well over 100 hours on this F31 grant proposal. In collaboration with my research mentors, I focused on the following research question: How do nurses help patients manage their […]

2025-05-29T12:11:08-04:00May 29th, 2025|equity, Nursing, nursing research|0 Comments

The Repercussions of Trump Administration Cuts to NIH and Research Funding

From the first week of his administration, President Trump has targeted medical and academic research, cutting research funding to universities and slashing the workforce and budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Concerns about the future of medical research in the United States began on January 22, just three days into the new administration, when all meetings to review grant submissions at NIH were cancelled with no plan for rescheduling.

Photo © Shutterstock

Within days, NIH abruptly cut off funding for research projects that incorporated principles or language associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in any form, such as clinical trials focused on populations underrepresented in past research. In early February, NIH announced drastic reductions in the indirect costs rate, the percentage paid to universities for administrative and overhead costs of funded research studies. NIH funding of new grants fell precipitously; an analysis in STAT found a 28% reduction in new grant funding in the first three months of the administration. Then in March universities got hit, most notably Columbia and Harvard, with the Trump administration threatening to terminate all federal funding if universities did not comply with the administration’s policy demands. The loss […]

Entering the Mainstream? Nursing Research at 25 Years

Logo of the United States National Institute o...

By Shawn Kennedy, AJN interim editor-in-chief

Last Thursday the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) held its kick-off event to celebrate its 25th anniversary—and what could be more appropriate than holding a research symposium at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)? Scientists and researchers (nurses as well as others) whose work is supported by the NINR presented highlights of their research. (See here for synopses.)

Why it matters to all nurses. All nurses, researchers or not, should celebrate the growth and accomplishments of the NINR—its establishment provided tangible recognition of the value of the substantial body of research conducted by and/or about the nursing profession. As practitioners, where would we be without research to provide the evidence underlying care interventions or the processes of delivering that care? With the October issue, AJN highlights the NINR’s silver anniversary: on the cover, with a guest editorial by NINR director Patricia Grady, and with a timeline highlighting key milestones and landmark research supported by the NINR (click through to the PDF version to read this article). To give you an idea why nursing research matters, here’s just one entry on the timeline, from 1998:

Nancy Bergstrom, PhD, RN, FAAN, in a multisite study, tests the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk and finds its predictive capability accurate. The scale is now widely used in nursing homes […]

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