Hits Different
My work was directly impacted by federal cuts
For several months now, I’ve been writing about how cuts to federal public health agencies are having a direct impact on the health of our communities. Vaccine clinics have been canceled, public health nurses have been fired, and some agencies have hiring freezes. The proposed budget for 2026 aims to cut the CDC’s budget from more than $9 billion to just over $4 billion, and consolidate the 27 institutes at NIH into eight, while reducing the agency’s budget nearly 40%.
In an article in STATNews, Andrew Rosenberg, a science policy expert and fellow at the Carsey School for Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, criticized the draft budget, noting —
“This is clearly an effort to destroy the capability to use science-based policies to improve the health and safety of Americans. It is clear there is no plan. No strategy on how to make anything better. No sense really of how to use science to inform effective policies from biomedical research to childhood education.”
Additionally, the draft budget notes that the following programs will be eliminated: the State Offices of Rural Health, the Youth Violence Prevention program, the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) program, the Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research Program, the Drowning Prevention program, and the Elderly Falls Prevention program, among others.
My fear — that public health will be erased by the Trump Administration — is becoming a reality. These proposed cuts (in workforce, funding, and programming) will result in all of us being less healthy. My heart is breaking for my children, who are growing up in communities with decreased access to care and fewer protections in place to ensure their health and safety. As a result of the continued dismantling of public health, people are going to die (people already have).
My heart is also breaking because my work was
directly impacted by the Trump Administration this past week.
Don’t want to read all the details? I talked with Erie News Now about the various ways my work has been impacted by the Trump Administration (or you can read all about it below)…
For several years now, I have been coordinating data collection for an NIH-funded clinical trial aimed at preventing surgical site infections. This clinical trial has put our rural community hospital on the map for doing meaningful research. This clinical trial allowed me to collaborate with brilliant physicians, epidemiologists, and project coordinators from around the country. This clinical trial has provided students with an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a multi-site research project. These students have learned how to obtain informed consent from patients, collect samples from patients and the environments where they are both during and after their surgery, and collaborate with the clinical staff at the hospital.
This summer, the two experienced students on the project were tasked with training five younger students. It was an ideal situation — both for the project and for the students, who were going to step in and lead, teaching others about informed consent, data collection, and collaborating with a huge research team.
The entire project came to a halt last week.
We were instructed to end data collection (indefinitely) immediately, even though I have thousands of dollars (an estimate) of supplies to collect more data. The supplies are in boxes now — we are unable to reuse or repurpose them.
What a waste.
The proposed federal budget cuts, executive orders, and reductions in force all —
“Hits different” when it’s directly impacting you.
I have been moving through the stages of grief as I mourn the loss of this research project. The anger phase was/is pretty long, and I apologize to anyone who heard me screaming on campus last Tuesday. I was really mad. My bargaining phase was short-lived, as there was no one to bargain with; the project is over.
I haven’t moved on to acceptance because I am still angry (and having nightmares about doors slamming shut and being locked out of places I want to get into — my subconscious hasn’t let go either.
However, I do have so much to be grateful for — a wonderful friend brought me a homemade chocolate chip scone the day after our project was terminated. My students have transitioned to other projects without complaint and are eager to start new work. A colleague, who coordinated this project with me, will host shadowing opportunities for students, and we hope to begin other research together soon.
I am trying to make beauty from ashes…
This is how we move on, which we must do.
But — we cannot forget that these cuts end important research aimed at reducing infections. We cannot forget that these lost opportunities are disrupting the education of the next generation of scientists, clinicians, and epidemiologists (the people who will be on the front lines of future pandemics). We cannot forget that when we fail to invest in science, it hurts the economy and our future health security.
This one HITS DIFFERENT.
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Epi(demiology) Matters is written by Dr. Becky Dawson, PhD MPH — an epidemiologist, teacher, mom, wife, and dedicated yogi. She is a tenured professor at Allegheny College, Research Director at a community hospital, and an exclusive contributor (all things health & medicine) at Erie News Now (NBC/CBS). Her goal is to create healthy communities for all. She writes Epi Matters — first & foremost because epidemiology does matter (to all of us), and she hopes that each post will help to educate and empower readers to be healthy and create healthy communities.
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Dr. Dawson, I'm so sorry that this has happened to you. A similar thing happened to me in the education field so I can empathize with you. To be doing the work, to know it's importance, then not having anyone ask you about it prior to shutting it down, is difficult to accept. And it might take a long time to accept it. I wish you luck.
Perhaps you can begin a study on why so many people can look at the same thing (like what's going on with you) but see it so differently. I can't understand why there isn't a bigger outcry over so many things going on in the world. I recommend the free 5 call app to contact our legislators. How appropriate that today you can find info on Fighting Censorship of Academic Research!
I am so so sorry, Becky! Having helped rural communities with CHNA implementation strategies, I know first hand the impact Public Health has on these communities. The insanity has to stop - as you know, we cannot wait 4 years for the destruction to be undone. This hits directly with my son, David, and his boyfriend, Noah. Stay strong, my friend.