“The rally follows a tumultuous year for the research agency, with devastating cuts to multi-year funding and outright terminations of grants, especially to research related to gender and race.”

“A year ago, Bill Bien woke up sick, with a sore throat and shortness of breath. He was soon diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma.”

“In August 2024, Michael Green was thrilled to receive an early-career fellowship from the NIH for his work on discrimination in healthcare. But in 2025, that research was terminated in the sweeping cuts enacted over the past year – part of the purge of research on diversity, equity and inclusion, which are key parts of public health research.”

“Jeanne Marrazzo, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and current CEO of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, stated that conducting public health research has required 'a very, very visible lifetime commitment to championing equity, diversity and inclusion'.”

“Anna Culbertson, co-founder of 27 UNIHTED, a non-profit of former NIH workers, led the crowd in the oath of office that all government employees take: 'I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,' she said, and the crowd, repeating after her, shouted the last part.”