By: Hunter Klosty
The Trump administration is currently in an ongoing legal battle concerning its decision to halt the distribution of grants by the National Institute of Health. The NIH grants billions of dollars to universities and other institutions across the United States to research topics aimed at improving overall public health and preventing the spread of diseases. The Trump administration halted funding as part of its efforts under the Department of Government Efficiency. The reasons given were to prevent wasteful spending and to curb diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Newly confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also previously expressed displeasure toward NIH spending habits.
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined 21 other state attorneys general to sue the federal government over its executive decision. North Carolina universities such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State University, as well as others, were collectively granted over $1 billion dollars in the 2024 fiscal year.
UNC-Chapel Hill was awarded $531,331,717 by the NIH to fund – either wholly or partially – 1,053 different studies during the 2024 fiscal year. Such studies that received NIH funding include:
Studies Integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
-$49,971 to study how to effectively recruit graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities to study aging. The study claimed in its Public Health Relevance Statement that this is because “there is a need for a racially diverse workforce of gerontologists.”
-$321,084 to study how “to increase the diversity of scientists that enter and are retained in the genomics workforce.”
-$428,270 to study “restoring equity to measuring and preventing perinatal intimate partner violence.” Researchers asserted in the abstract of the study that “[t]his program will contribute to the NIH IMPROVE initiative’s aim to promote diversity within the next generation of maternal health scientists and reduce preventable maternal deaths.”
-$3,855,746 to study “the impact of regulations and communication campaigns on those disadvantaged by tobacco use disparities, including Black; lower-socioeconomic status (SES); and lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) populations.”
Studies Concerning LGBT Populations
-$386,605 to chart “trajectories of sexual identity development and mental health disparities among sexual minority youth.”
-$627,727 to study how to boost “pay-it-forward gonorrhea testing among men who have sex with men.”
-$40,496 to study the “developmental trajectories of depression and suicide among LGBTQ people of color.”
Studies Funded by American Tax Dollars Researching African Populations
-$205,236 for a study titled, “A Combined Microeconomic Strengthening and Stigma Reduction Intervention for Young People with HIV in Zambia.”
-$641,136 for a study titled, “Adolescent Wellness Visits in Tanzania.”
-$300,000 to study “optimizing PrEP regimens for pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa.” PrEP is a medication intended to prevent the contraction of HIV by people with a high risk of contracting the virus.
-$139,701 to study the perspectives of Liberians, specifically “urban and rural [adolescent girls and young women] in Liberia, their male partners, and healthcare providers,” regarding the use of PrEP.
-$544,250 to study HIV Centers in Malawi.
-$37,329 to study contraception methods for women in Kisumu, Kenya.
Miscellaneous Studies
-$42,583 to study how “state-level restorative justice (RJ) policies may be linked to better mental health among survivors of adult intimate partner violence… among adolescent girls who have experienced adolescent dating violence.”
-$34,853 for a study titled, “The Role of Structural and Interpersonal Discrimination on Latina Mother and Child Immune Pathways.”
-$248,999 for a study on “applying novel precision medicine methods to people with mental illness in the justice system.”
The Carolina Review reached out to University Media Relations and was told, in part, that “UNC-Chapel Hill conducts more than 2,400 research projects on a variety of topics. The University always abides by federal and state laws, as well as agency regulations and guidance. Carolina research has real life impact on North Carolinians, Americans and people across the world.” The University did not directly address how the specific aforementioned studies better the health of Americans and comply with new federal guidelines surrounding DEI.