As a physician in a hospital, for every patient I cure, there is another patient for whom I can only ease their suffering. Every day, I see patients with progressive Alzheimer's disease who can no longer recognize their family, breaking bones from falls or choking on their own saliva. I see people with incurable cancer in constant pain. I see how devastating diseases like ALS can paralyze and destroy not just patients, but their families, too.
Often there is nothing I can do but alleviate their pain. Scientific research is our best hope for preventing this suffering in the first place. It is through rigorous investigation and innovation that we can discover breakthroughs in preventing or curing such debilitating ailments.
Recently, however, President Donald Trump has begun using this vital research as a bargaining chip against academic medical centers, like Harvard, to further his political agenda. This is not just misguided, it is fundamentally wrong.
President Trump has been targeting large universities to root out what he calls antisemitic activity and stop apparent diversity, equity and inclusion agendas. He has threatened to withhold billions of dollars from Harvard, Cornell, Brown, Northwestern, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, among others.
Setting aside the fact that he is attacking free speech and the First Amendment, and that protesting a war and a humanitarian crisis does not automatically equate to antisemitism, it is extremely alarming that he is leveraging federal funding used for medical and technological research as a tool in this political game to pander to his base.
Federal funding is crucial for research that benefits all Americans, regardless of political affiliation. The funding from government sources like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) does not go to places like Harvard's bottom line, but rather gets poured straight into research and innovation.
These dollars help researchers conduct clinical trials, build and maintain laboratories, support research staff and innovate new technologies.
These government dollars have been the backbone in groundbreaking areas of cancer treatments, Alzheimer's, heart disease, obesity and organ transplantation. NIH-sponsored trials even led to the first treatments for COVID-19.
These advancements in so many diseases have saved countless lives and improved the quality of life for millions of Americans.
Using federal research dollars as a bargaining chip is not only unethical, but it also undermines the very foundation of scientific progress. The uncertainty created by such political maneuvering can lead to chaos within the research community.
I have seen colleagues who were leading trials on heart disease or long COVID-19 have their labs thrown into chaos by the mere threat of NIH budget cuts led by the Department of Government Efficiency. This uncertainty affects morale and can stifle innovation at a time when we need it most.
America has long been a leader in innovation, whether in technology or biomedical research. Our academic institutions rely on research funding to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Threatening this essential source of funding to root out imaginary enemies or to advance a political agenda is a disservice to our country and its future.
If we allow political agendas to dictate the flow of research funding, we risk not only stalling progress but also losing our position as a global leader in scientific discovery.
We must all join together and stand up against this bullying. Otherwise, instead of leading the charge toward a healthier future, we may continue to have no answers for the suffering of our fellow Americans.
Dr. Thomas K. Lew is an assistant clinical professor of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and an attending physician of Hospital Medicine at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley. All expressed opinions are his own. Follow him on X: @ThomasLewMD