Several senior scientists were notified to oversee the treatment of disease prevention and treatment of disease (NIH) that they were cut Tuesday as part of the devastating federal employee of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr.
Several sources at NIH were anonymous because they had no right to talk to the media and confirmed that at least 10 main investigators leading the institution’s medical research have been fired. These include Dr. Richard Youle, a leading researcher in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, who previously awarded the Life Sciences Breakthrough Award for his pioneering research that identified the mechanisms behind Parkinson’s disease.
Elon Musk attended the groundbreaking awards ceremony, commonly known as the “Science Oscars”, and Elon Musk participated in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a campaign to eliminate a large amount of federal labor during the Donald Trump presidential campaign.
HHS did not respond to the question of the cable’s sacking of NIH scientists. Agent spokesman Vianca Rodriguez pointed to a previous statement from Secretary Kennedy, which included plans announced last week, announcing the elimination of 1,200 NIH jobs in the procurement, human resources and communications sectors.
Several NIH sources told Wired that layoffs include — in addition to labor, IT and human resources staff, senior investigators at the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS), top scientists at the National Institute of Aging, and some researchers have caused research in HIV work, their work in HIV, emerging infectious diseases, diseases with diseases and children’s brains and nerve brains and nerve brains.
At a NINDS Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, the institute’s leaders expressed confusion over the cuts, saying they blinded the fire of the leading investigator who led the research team, or PIS. NIH has approximately 1,200 PIs in its 27 centers and institutions. According to a source at the meeting, “Get rid of our 11 senior PIS…we hope this is a mistake because we can’t figure out why they are doing it.”
Laboratories affected by the layoffs include those involved in clinical trials and preclinical research. NIH staff said it is unclear what plans will happen to patients who are accumulating data or the ongoing trial.
Emails sent Tuesday to more than 2,000 recent college graduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working at NIH appear to confirm the shooting of multiple PIs. “Many of us know today, directly or indirectly, that we have received a termination notice today, as part of the HHS scope range,” a email from Sharon Milgram, director of the In-Wall Training and Education Office at NIH said.
NIH supports young researchers through various programs, usually one to two years or two years of scholarship. These early career scientists were placed in laboratories under PI. Milgram told researchers in her email that the NIH-Cancer Research and Visiting Researcher Program received a RIF notification: “I can assure you that your scholarship appointment will not terminate immediately and that we will explore the resignation option with everyone.”
