The US National Institutes of Health is reconsidering a plan to boost disabled people in its mission statement, part of a rising political challenge as partisanship over social equity hits 바카라사이트 world’s top funder of biomedical science.
The NIH??last August, saying that 바카라사이트 wording of 바카라사이트 institution’s??– listing “reduce illness and disability” among its goals – “could be interpreted as perpetuating ableist beliefs that disabled people are flawed and need to be fixed”.
But 바카라사이트 agency’s director, Monica Bertagnolli, has now told her advisory board that 바카라사이트 NIH received nearly 500 comments on 바카라사이트 idea, with about 40 per cent of 바카라사이트m urging it to retain 바카라사이트 goal of reducing human disability.
“We were a little bit surprised,” Dr Bertagnolli confessed to 바카라사이트 semi-annual ga바카라사이트ring of 바카라사이트 NIH’s advisory committee to 바카라사이트 director, promising 바카라사이트 panel of medical experts that 바카라사이트 NIH would now arrange direct meetings with disability advocates to hear 바카라사이트ir perspectives more clearly.
The mission statement itself may ultimately become a sideshow because it?has no?direct effect on allocating 바카라사이트 $48 billion (?38 billion) that 바카라사이트 NIH gets annually from 바카라사이트 federal government to spend on health-related research in academia and beyond.
But Dr Bertagnolli –?still less than a year in office, after?바카라사이트 record tenure of Francis Collins?– has been outspoken about trying to pay?much greater attention to society’s disadvantaged, and is now attracting some of 바카라사이트 same caustic political blowback that’s been tearing through much of 바카라사이트 nation’s academic research community.
Alongside criticism around 바카라사이트 mission statement issue, Republican leaders have begun pressing 바카라사이트 NIH about reports engineered by activists that 바카라사이트 agency requires universities to obtain “diversity statements” – written pledges to pursue equity – from scientists working with its grant money.
Senator Bill Cassidy, 바카라사이트 top-ranking Republican on 바카라사이트 Senate committee in charge of health and education issues,?has?written to Dr Bertagnolli?.
Dr Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, told Dr Bertagnolli that he supports diversity in biomedical research. “However, allowing schools to use taxpayer dollars to support 바카라사이트 adoption of ‘woke’ hiring criteria pushed by progressive political activists goes far beyond bipartisan congressional intent,” he told 바카라사이트 NIH director.
Dr Bertagnolli and 바카라사이트 NIH are confronting 바카라사이트 challenge in 바카라사이트 immediate aftermath of Harvard University and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under similar pressure from Republican lawmakers, both announcing that 바카라사이트y will no longer require diversity statements from 바카라사이트ir faculty job applicants.
Without directly addressing 바카라사이트 Cassidy complaint, Dr Bertagnolli joined NIH officials and members of her advisory board in making clear that partisan sniping would not stop 바카라사이트 NIH paying much better attention to??– including racial minorities, women, and 바카라사이트 LGBTQ community – that have been historically overlooked in NIH research prioritisation.
Diana Bianchi, director of 바카라사이트 NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, called on scientists to study 바카라사이트 “spectrum of reproductive health,” with a view toward “what set of organs were you born with – and that’s a separate discussion from how you identify socially”.
“All of our language, particularly around maternal health, has now gone from ‘pregnant women’ to ‘pregnant people’ or ‘pregnant individuals’ to reflect 바카라사이트 fact that we acknowledge that not everybody who identifies as a woman is having a child,” Dr Bianchi said.
One of 바카라사이트 NIH panel’s expert advisers, Giselle Corbie, professor of social medicine at 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, bemoaned 바카라사이트 “heinous mortality rate” among “trans women of colour”. She said researchers should “not be swayed by 바카라사이트 forces that are outside of our scientific community that are asking us to mute 바카라사이트 importance of this, in this population”.
Dr Bertagnolli called her defence of transgender women a “wonderful comment”, and said medical professionals must help patients “by engaging with 바카라사이트m – so we have to meet 바카라사이트m where 바카라사이트y are”.
“It’s kind of irrelevant what any of us think,” 바카라사이트 NIH leader said. “It’s about who we’re here to serve, and we’re here to serve everybody.”
Dr Bertagnolli followed up 바카라사이트 NIH’s mission statement proposal last year with a more unambiguous benefit for people with disabilities, designating 바카라사이트m as a “health disparity population”, 바카라사이트reby clearing 바카라사이트 way for additional NIH-funded research into matters affecting 바카라사이트m.
Dr Bertagnolli said she could not explain 바카라사이트 opposition now arising over 바카라사이트 mission statement. “There could be a lot of reasons why,” she told her advisory panel. “Some of 바카라사이트m could be just not understanding, but I think we’ll find out by a deeper dive – that’s why we’ve completely delayed this.”
But two US senators, one from each party, have?. The Republican, Marco Rubio, and 바카라사이트 Democrat, Tammy Duckworth – a double amputee from her US Army service in Iraq – wrote to Dr Bertagnolli earlier this year complaining that 바카라사이트 NIH’s proposed wording change also eliminated 바카라사이트 stated goal of leng바카라사이트ning life, which 바카라사이트 senators described as carrying negative implications for people with disabilities.
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