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An application withdrawn without review.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 But a few weeks ago, I was notified that my application had been retroactively withdrawn without review, as it no longer aligned with the current administration’s research priorities.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 […]

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

2025-05-09T10:09:38-04:00May 9th, 2025|equity, health care policy, Nursing, nursing research, Public health|1 Comment
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Beyond ‘Leaning In’: Pull Up a Chair for Others

A commitment to ‘always be at the table.’

Many years after reading Sheryl Sandburg’s 2013 book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, and watching her Ted Talk, “Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders,” the phrase “sit at the table” sticks with me.

At the time I read the book I was working for a hospital system, overseeing a large research team. I often sat in interdisciplinary meetings where the doctors would occupy the seats at the table and the support team members, often early career professionals and nurses, would sit on the periphery of the room. These seats were not assigned—it was just how people sat themselves. In her book, Sandberg observed that those who sit at the sidelines of decisions are more often seen as spectators instead of as active participants or decision-makers.

After finishing the book, I made a commitment that I would always be at the table because I refused to believe that my experience, knowledge, or opinions were any less valuable than those of anyone else in the room.

Bring a chair for someone else.

I now work in a nursing academic setting that seeks to offer an environment of belonging and inclusivity for faculty, students, […]

2024-08-12T13:36:16-04:00August 12th, 2024|equity, Nursing, nursing perspective|1 Comment
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PrEP, HIV, and Continuing Barriers to Access

As a gay man navigating the complex landscape of health care, I never expected to encounter judgment, stigma, and discrimination in my pursuit of preventative measures against HIV. In a world that’s constantly evolving, it’s disheartening to see how outdated attitudes still hinder access to essential services like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). My personal experience may shed light on the urgent need for an update on PrEP for HIV prevention.

The human cost of judgment and stigma.

Like many in the LGBTQIA+ community, I faced the harsh reality of being told not to have sex, to pursue monogamy and marriage as the only path to a healthy life. These societal expectations, fueled by ignorance and prejudice, led me to suppress my desires, inadvertently putting my health at risk. Denial of access to prevention services like PrEP left me feeling isolated, vulnerable, and frustrated.

My wake-up call came through a close friend who, unfortunately, lived out the consequences of societal judgment. Despite being vulnerable and at risk, he was denied access to PrEP because of the same archaic beliefs that I had encountered. The result was a diagnosis of HIV that forever altered his life and left me grappling with the reality that I could […]

2023-12-18T09:33:20-05:00December 18th, 2023|equity, infectious diseases, Nursing|0 Comments
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QR Codes for Rapid Responses: Improved Clinical Operations and DEI Insight

Improving data collection of RRTs for quality improvement

The method we use to track rapid response team (RRT) data has evolved on our health campus at Mount Sinai Queens. Just a few years ago we were using paper logs; now we use electronic logs accessed by a QR code. The goal initially has been to become paperless and collect data to analyze our rapid responses for clinical insight. The greater data collection with the QR code process has in turn allowed for analysis, including a closer examination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) variables. 

About our rapid response team

Our RRT consists of the ICU charge nurse, ICU attending, respiratory therapist, and the nurse manager or the evening/night nursing administrator. They are called upon when there is a significant change in a patient’s condition that requires critical care expertise at the bedside. After hearing the overhead call for a rapid response, the responding ICU RN scans the RRT QR code using a smart phone. The QR code is displayed within the ICU nurses station for easy access. Depending on the type of rapid response, the responding RN can enter data into the RRT electronic log as care progresses and/or at the conclusion of the response.

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2023-06-14T17:12:55-04:00June 14th, 2023|equity, Nursing, Quality improvement, Technology|0 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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