Neglected Diseases and Patients: The NIH Funding Crisis

The role of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its partnership with academic research institutions has come under threat, attributed to meager funding and inequities in research devoted to diseases that primarily affect marginalized groups. This paper aims to probe the shortcomings of the NIH that led to one such event that devastated the U.S. and the world to an unparalleled extent, the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper will then transition to a study of the implications of current NIH funding cuts on medical research, particularly for patients afflicted by traditionally underfunded chronic diseases. I utilize data from a variety of sources, including interviews conducted by myself and others, federal laws, news articles, academic journals, and published numeric data. This compilation of evidence will build toward the thesis that the effects of a now-gutted NIH constitute the final blow of a prolonged attack on disparate health care, and cannot be ascribed to the actions of any singular presidential administration. Academic research institutions are now situated in an exceedingly vulnerable position, and the future of the medical field is uncertain. As a matter of course, Americans have become more prone to lethal diseases.