Selena Simmons-Duffin

It invests more than $40 billion in research every year, and it gathers together scientists outside the agency into what are called study sections to help them figure out how to spend that money, what research is the most important to fund.

Dr. Crystal Starbird is a cancer researcher and a professor at UNC Chapel Hill, and yesterday she got an email about her study section that was scheduled for next week.

Dr. Crystal Starbird is a cancer researcher and a professor at UNC Chapel Hill, and yesterday she got an email about her study section that was scheduled for next week.

Dr. Crystal Starbird is a cancer researcher and a professor at UNC Chapel Hill, and yesterday she got an email about her study section that was scheduled for next week.

Well, Dr. Starbird told me that these are not the kinds of meetings that can easily be rescheduled. There are a lot of moving parts, different institutions, different timetables, and a delay, especially an indefinite delay like this one, could really have a negative impact on important cancer research.

Well, Dr. Starbird told me that these are not the kinds of meetings that can easily be rescheduled. There are a lot of moving parts, different institutions, different timetables, and a delay, especially an indefinite delay like this one, could really have a negative impact on important cancer research.

Well, Dr. Starbird told me that these are not the kinds of meetings that can easily be rescheduled. There are a lot of moving parts, different institutions, different timetables, and a delay, especially an indefinite delay like this one, could really have a negative impact on important cancer research.

The full scope of these cancellations isn't clear at this point, but a lot of scientists are concerned that biomedical research of all kinds could be disrupted.

The full scope of these cancellations isn't clear at this point, but a lot of scientists are concerned that biomedical research of all kinds could be disrupted.

The full scope of these cancellations isn't clear at this point, but a lot of scientists are concerned that biomedical research of all kinds could be disrupted.

We don't know yet if it's related, but yes, the acting HHS secretary on Tuesday sent a memo instructing the leaders of NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, all the other health agencies to refrain from most external communication until they can be approved by, quote, a presidential appointee.

We don't know yet if it's related, but yes, the acting HHS secretary on Tuesday sent a memo instructing the leaders of NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, all the other health agencies to refrain from most external communication until they can be approved by, quote, a presidential appointee.

We don't know yet if it's related, but yes, the acting HHS secretary on Tuesday sent a memo instructing the leaders of NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, all the other health agencies to refrain from most external communication until they can be approved by, quote, a presidential appointee.

NPR obtained that memo and several internal emails that indicate travel is suspended for HHS staffers as well. In addition to the government-wide hiring freeze, So workers I've heard from at HHS are quite concerned about all of this. Several said they weren't sure if information in papers that were set to be submitted and published this week will be delayed.

NPR obtained that memo and several internal emails that indicate travel is suspended for HHS staffers as well. In addition to the government-wide hiring freeze, So workers I've heard from at HHS are quite concerned about all of this. Several said they weren't sure if information in papers that were set to be submitted and published this week will be delayed.

NPR obtained that memo and several internal emails that indicate travel is suspended for HHS staffers as well. In addition to the government-wide hiring freeze, So workers I've heard from at HHS are quite concerned about all of this. Several said they weren't sure if information in papers that were set to be submitted and published this week will be delayed.

So we're waiting to see if infectious disease dashboards will be updated on schedule. And, you know, Michelle, looming over all of this is the fact that in Trump's first term, there were instances where of political appointees attempting to alter CDC reports on COVID-19.

So we're waiting to see if infectious disease dashboards will be updated on schedule. And, you know, Michelle, looming over all of this is the fact that in Trump's first term, there were instances where of political appointees attempting to alter CDC reports on COVID-19.

So we're waiting to see if infectious disease dashboards will be updated on schedule. And, you know, Michelle, looming over all of this is the fact that in Trump's first term, there were instances where of political appointees attempting to alter CDC reports on COVID-19.

So some worry that these developments are a sign that political appointees intend to exert a new kind of control on the federal health and research agencies.