Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer, institution, or any affiliated organization. Any of this information shared can be found on publicly available websites.

In light of all the recent changes that have come with the T**mp administration, I thought it was important I share with the public why my research matters, and why you should care too.

If you are unaware, on January 27, 2025, the T**mp administration ordered a suspension of grant funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – in the news this has also been called a “funding freeze”. The NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. Not just the United States, but the whole world. The NIH is world-renowned, and, because of that, the NIH can recruit some of the best scientists in the world. The NIH is respected for its high level of research that it produces and its commitment to “enhancing health, lengthening life, and reducing illness and disability” by seeking to understand “fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems.” Basically, researchers at NIH, and researchers funded by NIH, conduct research in an effort to improve the health of all people.

To make this more personal and familiarize you with some people who are funded by NIH, and thus impacted by this federal freeze…hi!!! It’s me!!! A majority of the work that I do is paid for by grants received from the NIH. A majority of the work done by my colleagues is paid for by grants received from the NIH. And I really, truly believe that the work I do is important and can help improve the health of both humans and the environment.

My research is focused on studying how things in the environment and how our genetic backgrounds may increase our risk for gestational diabetes and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. When I say “things in the environment”, I’m talking about chemicals we are exposed to through our drinking water, cookware, takeout containers, stain-resistant furniture, water-resistant clothing, firefighting foam, microwave popcorn bags, cosmetics, personal care products, etc. Essentially, things that we are exposed to in our everyday life. My particular chemical of interest has been detected in over 99% of human’s blood in the United States, and can be passed to fetuses via cord blood and breast milk. Basically, everyone is exposed to this chemical I study.

I study gestational diabetes, as it is one of the most common pregnancy complications, and is often associated with increased risk for additional pregnancy complications, such as pre-eclampsia, stillbirth, the need for a Cesarean (C-) Section, and extended maternal hospitalization, to name a few. Additionally, a fetus born to a person with gestational diabetes also has increased risk for adverse health outcomes both at birth and later in life, such as preterm birth and development of type II diabetes, respectively. Gestational diabetes is a health condition that can affect both the health of the mother and their future child. I would hope that we can all agree that we should want people to have healthy pregnancies and healthy children. 

That is the goal of my research. I end every seminar saying, “Understanding the mechanisms by which exposures to environmental contaminants disrupt cellular signaling and how our genetic backgrounds make us either susceptible or tolerant to disease can help us to better screen, prevent, and treat patients – helping make a healthier tomorrow.” It is what I say, and it is what I truly believe. It is what I hope to accomplish through my research.

Just as there are some genes that can make people more susceptible to breast cancer (i.e. BRCA1 and BRCA 2) or sickle cell disease (i.e. HBB), there are likely some genes that can make people more susceptible to metabolic disorders like gestational diabetes. However, unlike breast cancer and sickle cell disease, the genetic predisposition for metabolic conditions like gestational diabetes have not been well-studied. My work is seeking to identify some genes that may be related to gestational diabetes.

The more we know about people’s risk for certain diseases, either in regards to the chemicals they may be exposed to in their environment or their genetic predisposition, we can help treat and prevent disease and illness. I have always said that the best medicine is preventative medicine. That’s why I like toxicology. Because with toxicology you can work to identify things in the environment that may lead to disease, and when we understand the causes of disease, we can better prevent disease.

Diseases are complex, and so it takes a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of scientists to answer these questions we might have about certain diseases. When people say they want to cure cancer, they might not realize how big of a task that really is! There are over 200 known types of cancer, and each has unique characteristics and treatment options. Not only are the cancer types themselves unique and diverse, but the people who get these cancers are also unique and diverse. That makes studying these diseases and parsing out their specific causes and treatments difficult…but I say that the difficulty is what makes research fun. The real world is complex! And so we have to tackle these research questions from so many different viewpoints! And it is thanks to institutions like the NIH that people can work together to attempt to do that. 

For example, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was developed by a collection of pharmaceutical companies (Merck, GlaxoSmithKline), government agencies (NIH), and academic institutions (University of Rochester, Georgetown University, University of Queensland in Australia). To highlight how these collaborations are present in my own research, my research is funded by grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Disease (NIDDK), and the University of Rochester. We collaborate with other labs within our own university, as well as some labs at other universities. And this is just one project of one student (me) in one lab at a big research university. 

Without this funding, I cannot do my research. And, I’m not going to lie…that would destroy me. I went into science and I went into research because I was raised on the belief that I could do anything I wanted to, as long as I worked hard. So that’s what I’ve done! I’ve worked really f**king hard!!!!! To do work that I care about and am passionate about. To do work that can help improve the lives of others.

There are so many other scientists out there, just like me, who believe in making a healthier tomorrow through scientific research. We go into research because we love science and the positive impact it can have on people’s lives. Not to mention, many younger scientists, like myself, want to focus on the health of communities that have been overlooked in the past. I love studying female reproductive health, because it was not until the tragedy of thalidomide and severe birth defects that concerns over female reproductive toxicity even began. Prior to this, male fertility and general development were studied, but not female reproduction. It was not until the late 1970s(!!!) that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring female reproductive toxicity to be considered in studies. And it has only been within the last ten years that sex differences (comparing males and females) has become a focus area of research.

For research to progress, scientists need support!!!! For the health of the nation, we need research to progress!!!! I sincerely worry for the health of the nation for the decades to follow if these funding freezes continue. We have made so much positive progress in research over the last few decades – by cutting funding, we will have huge setbacks, and we, as a nation, can no longer expect to be a world leader in biomedical research.

For the health of humans, for the health of the environment, for the health of the economy, we need to support scientific research. And, on a personal note, to help make the last 27 years of my life worth it, please support scientific research. I can’t believe in the American Dream if I can’t follow mine. I did everything they said to do. I worked hard. I followed my passion. I went to school. I’m doing everything they said I had to do to achieve my dream. But I don’t know if that will be possible.

I really hope it is.

Sources:

1. https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/22/nx-s1-5305276/trump-nih-funding-freeze-medical-research
2. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/search?conditions%5Bterm%5D=freeze
3. https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/nih-almanac/about-nih#:~:text=NIH%20is%20the%20steward%20of,and%20reduce%20illness%20and%20disability.
4. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/genetics/brca-fact-sheet
5. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/causes#:~:text=People%20have%20sickle%20cell%20trait,on%20when%20they%20have%20children.
6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7089001/
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21507989/
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16611128/
9. https://commonfund.nih.gov/other-initiatives/sexdifferences#:~:text=In%202014%2C%20the%20NIH%20began,sex%2Dspecific%20inclusion%20is%20unwarranted.