The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) has joined the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), Infectious Diseases Society of America, Brem Foundation, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, The American Thoracic Society, American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research, American Diabetes Association, HIV Medicine Association, AcademyHealth, Coalition for Health Funding, ASM, AVAC, Association for Professional in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), Save HIV Funding, PrEP4All, The Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS), and Treatment Action Group (TAG) in opposing efforts to introduce political influence into federal research funding decisions.
The call came after news of a potential executive order that would create a board empowered to block National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants that do not align with the administration's political priorities. While the order has not been introduced, it follows a series of recent efforts to insert political considerations into a grant review process that has long rested on scientific expertise and evidence-based evaluation.
"NIH peer review exists so that research dollars go to the most promising science, not the most politically convenient," said ASTMH President Terrie Taylor, DO. "Diseases like malaria, dengue, and emerging viral threats do not follow political calendars. Subjecting grants to political screening would slow discovery, drive talented researchers away and leave Americans less protected against threats that can arrive on a single flight."
ASTMH welcomes the concerns raised by members of Congress from both parties and urges lawmakers on both side of the aisle to reaffirm their commitment to transparent, merit-based funding at NIH and other U.S. agencies advancing research for health.
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is the largest organization of professionals dedicated to the prevention, control, and treatment of tropical and infectious diseases worldwide.