Message for research community

January 24, 2025

Dear Faculty,

We understand that the recent freeze on public communications by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the related National Institutes of Health (NIH) suspension of study section meetings and grant reviews have caused considerable concern among our research community.  As noted in AAMC’s update below, at this time, this pause is expected to be temporary.

We are monitoring the situation closely and reaching out to our contacts in government relations and our association partners and others to gather additional information. We will update you as new details emerge.

We have already received communications from NASA about policy changes and these have been sent to the relevant researchers. Please reach out to your GCM and copy ORSP and myself if you receive any such communication and we will do the same.

Many of you are working hard on proposals planned for submission in the next two weeks. I want to encourage you to keep working on making those proposals as excellent as they can be, and do not change your plans for submission.  We are here to help.

Finally, please hang in there.  We are so impressed by your passion for discovery and we are so grateful for the important work that you do.  The university is here to navigate any upcoming federal policy changes with you.

More soon,

Kim

A. Kimberley McAllister, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Research, Scholarly Inquiry and Creative Activity

---

The following was received from AAMC on January 23, 2025:

As you may have seen reported in various press stories, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a freeze on public communications (including publication of documents, regulations, guidance, notices, grant announcements, website updates, press releases, social media, and participating in public speaking engagements) for employees at HHS agencies until such communications can be reviewed by administration officials. For context, previous administrations have issued similar directives at the beginning of a new president’s term while new staff assume their positions and begin their work.

As part of the freeze, we understand that HHS and related agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have suspended all HHS committees subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), including NIH study sections. Please note that at this time, we understand this pause is intended to be temporary, and we anticipate that such activities will resume shortly (press and other reports suggest that the freeze may lift as soon as Feb. 1). We acknowledge that this pause may have caused disruptions at your institutions, especially for those researchers with federal grant funding. We will be continuing to monitor the evolving situation very carefully and will share out what we learn.

Separately, we also understand that HHS staff have been instructed to suspend all work-related travel immediately and indefinitely. There is some precedent for travel suspensions in past administrations.

We are working to get additional information and will continue to provide updates as we receive them.

Elena Fuentes-Afflick, MD, MPH                                 
Chief Scientific Officer
Association of American Medical Colleges