One of the areas targeted by President Trump’s administration for cuts has been the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Cost-cutting actions have included the layoffs of some 1,200 NIH employees, the termination of research grants, a pause in the “study sections” that evaluate and award grant funding, and a cap on indirect costs included in research grants. Some of those moves have been paused following court cases.
Dr. Harold Varmus, a former director of the National Institutes of Health, joins Host Ira Flatow to talk about the actions, and the impact he fears they could have on the future of biomedical research in the United States.
Further Reading
- Listen to a conversation between Flora and Dr. Sudip Parikh, the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) about how federal cuts affect science research.
- Learn about the impacts of recent cuts to the NIH via Science.
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Segment Guests
Harold Varmus
Dr. Harold Varmus is a former director of the NIH (1993-1999), Lewis Thomas University Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, and a Senior Associate at the New York Genome Center in New York, New York.
Segment Transcript
The transcript of this segment is being processed. It will be available early next week.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Charles Bergquist
As Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. Favorite topics include planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.
About Ira Flatow
Ira Flatow is the founder and host of Science Friday. His green thumb has revived many an office plant at death’s door.