Cuts to NIH 'inconsistent' with university interest in global health research

"As the debate over federal budget allocations and cuts continues, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a leading funder for both domestic and global health research, could experience a whopping $1 billion budget cut," Karen Siegel and colleagues from Emory University write in the Health Affairs Blog. "To date, modest [U.S.] investments in global health have helped create platforms for discovery science, such as large multiethnic studies of genetics and epigenetics; transformative programs, such as [PEPFAR]; and life-altering interventions, such as oral rehydration salts," they continue, adding, "Not only would large cuts to the NIH slow our progress in improving health worldwide, but they would also be out of step with the burgeoning interest in global health at universities across the United States." They discuss the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) and the results of a recent survey of CUGH members, showing widespread support for global health research. They conclude, "Evidence suggests that large NIH cuts could negatively affect our progress in improving health worldwide: These cuts would be inconsistent with U.S. universities' current and growing interest in global health and could result in missed opportunities to improve health at the global level" (4/5).