Code Red for Future of Science in America (Opinion)

Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this episode belong solely to the hosts and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, beliefs, or position of Nurse.org.

Hosts Marion Leary, PhD, MPH, RN, and Rebecca Love, RN, MSN, FIEL, are joined by Dr. Lorena Grundy (AAUP Vice President and Practice Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Penn) and Dr. Logan Spector (pediatric cancer genomics specialist at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine) on the Love n' Leary Nursing Podcast.

The panel discusses a 412-page proposed rule from the White House's Office of Management and Budget regarding federal science funding in the United States. If enacted, the proposal would alter the grant decision-making process by giving political appointees the authority to override peer-review selections and terminate active grants mid-study without an appeals process.

In this episode, the guests break down the specific components of the document, examine its potential impact on nursing research and clinical trials, and explain how the public can participate in the ongoing public comment period. At the time of recording, approximately 6,500 comments had been filed toward a collective advocacy goal of one million.

This conversation outlines the details of the proposed policy and provides instructions on how researchers, clinicians, nurse leaders, and community members can submit feedback.

Jump Ahead: 

• 01:11 — Welcome back and introducing the episode
• 02:01 — Introducing Dr. Lorena Grundy
• 02:53 — Introducing Dr. Logan Spector and why this conversation was hard to book
• 06:06 — Dr. Grundy on what's actually in the 412-page proposed rule
• 08:55 — How this affects every scientific field, from nursing to engineering
• 11:05 — The risk to active clinical trials and the patients enrolled in them
• 16:47 — How universities and individual scientists balance the risk of speaking out
• 23:55 — Why you can comment anonymously and how to do it
• 26:06 — Rebecca's call to action
• 28:21 — Why anyone can comment, not just scientists
• 31:11 — Final thoughts and a thank you to the guests
• 32:01 — The current comment count and the goal of one million
• 33:14 — Closing thanks

Listen now at nurse.org/news/love-n-leary-nursing-podcast.