Federal funding cuts by the Trump administration shut down a University of Pittsburgh study of Alzheimer’s risk in two low‑income, majority‑Black, historically red‑lined Pittsburgh neighborhoods after researchers had completed data collection on roughly 600 older participants. Investigators had planned an 18-24 month follow‑up and were preparing an adjudication - specialist review by a neuropsychologist and a geriatric psychiatrist - of lengthy cognitive tests that would yield results promised to participants. A 90‑day termination window and frozen funds left the team without time or money to assess those tests and return diagnoses, despite more than $10m already invested, potentially delaying early identification and treatment of dementia for participants.
The shutdown is one example of a wider NIH upheaval: more than 5,700 medical grants were canceled, frozen or disrupted in two years (about 4,500 later restored), and JAMA estimated cancelled clinical trials affected over 74,000 participants. Researchers and institutions have filed appeals and a class action alleging political targeting and censorship of research tied to diversity, equity and inclusion and health equity; legal experts say recent cancellations may be test cases as control of federal grantmaking shifts toward political appointees. The administration defends cuts as realigning priorities toward measurable outcomes, but critics warn the moves undermine trust, skew participation away from Black Americans - who are underrepresented in Alzheimer’s research despite higher disease risk - and threaten public health.
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