Feature Story

NIH and NIAID Cuts Will Threaten the A/I Specialty

AAAAI is Advocating for the NIH and NIAID – and We Need Your Help

The proposed cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and the dismantling of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAD) would have a devastating impact on the allergy/immunology specialty. And these cuts will go far beyond impacting researchers - threatening practitioners, the training of future allergist/immunologists and the development of new treatments for our patients.

Carla M. Davis, MD, FAAAAI

That is why the AAAAI has convened the AAAAI Scientific Community Task Force for A/I Research, to lead advocacy efforts for the continued robust funding of the NIH and NIAID.

“Without funding from these organizations, so much will be impacted,” said Carla M. Davis, MD, FAAAAI, AAAAI President-Elect and Chair of the taskforce. “Scientific advancements that lead to innovative treatments are fueled by these organizations. Institutions that train our incoming allergist/immunologists receive funding from these organizations. Proposed cuts would have irreversible negative impacts on our field and across the entire house of medicine.”

Almost all new FDA-approved drugs start with NIH-funded research, and many allergy/immunology networks and organizations that receive funding from the NIH and NIAID have produced incredible, innovative work, according to Dr. Davis. For example, the Atopic Disease Research Network’s efforts led to the FDA approval of biologics for atopic dermatitis. The Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Researchers’ work led to many treatments for eosinophilic esophagitis, and the Consortium for Food Allergy Research work led to oral immunotherapy and biologic treatment for food allergy. Another example is the funding from the NIH in primary immunodeficiency disease, which led to innovations in stem cell transplants and the application of gene therapy.

“Every allergist has been touched, and every practice changed, because of breakthroughs funded by the NIH and NIAID. We’re afraid that all of this will go away if funding is decreased and the NIAID is dismantled.”

Carla M. Davis, MD, FAAAAI AAAAI President-Elect and Chair of the AAAAI Scientific Community Task Force for A/I Research

Why should allergists who don’t work in research care about this issue?

With fewer healthcare professionals specializing in research and less training programs able to remain open, it will become more difficult to recruit talented students into the allergy/immunology specialty, Dr. Davis explained. This in turn will lead to fewer allergist/immunologists caring for patients, leading to longer wait times for patients to receive the care they need.

Already there have been anecdotal reports of incoming students who are considering different careers due to looming cuts, or who are considering seeking training and employment in other countries as physician scientists.

Most importantly, the new therapies that come about due to research will begin to stop. Already over $1.5 billion in NIH funding has been frozen, forcing much research work to halt.

Is the task force watching for additional threats to the field?

The task force is also closely monitoring how cuts to overall funding for healthcare would impact how much time scientists are able to dedicate to their research. Medicare and Medicaid funding, which impacts reimbursement for care, has a direct impact on how much time physician scientists can dedicate to research. But overall, the task force is laser-focused on NIH funding and the preservation of NIAID.

Share Your Stories

We need your voice. Join us in defending the future of our specialty and the patients we serve. • Please share any stories about how funding cuts have impacted you or your patients with us by emailing advocacy@aaaai.org. • Share your stories with your elected representatives. • Use our toolkit to amplify your message in additional ways!

Why should we oppose cuts to Facilities & Administrative (F&A) funds?

“When an academic institution receives a grant, the money received for the project only covers the cost of supplies for the project itself and the time spent by the person doing the work,” Dr. Davis explained. “The cost of keeping a lab or clinical research center open is covered by indirect funding, which goes to the institution so it can provide the location, utilities and much more for the research to be done. Taking away indirect funding is like giving a professional athlete a salary but not giving them a stadium to play in or a uniform to wear.”

The proposed cuts to F&A grants will lead to many labs and clinical trials closing or being discontinued, Dr. Davis said. “The current indirect rate to keep the research infrastructure afloat in most institutions is between ~50-80%, but current proposals are looking for the indirect grant funds to be cut to 15%.”

AAAAI leaders spent World Allergy Day (May 6) on Capitol Hill meeting with legislators on a number of critical issues impacting allergy/immunology research, care and treatment.

What can you do?

“We are asking every AAAAI member to contact their legislator – no matter what state you live in,” Dr. Davis said. “Every legislator should understand the impact these funding cuts will have to the number of practicing physicians and the treatments that patients receive. They must understand how healthcare will be impacted in the nation and in their state.”

The AAAAI toolkit provides a variety of templates you can use to help you contact your representatives, post on social media about saving research and personalize op-eds to be sent to local media.

Dr. Davis also emphasized how much personal stories can really make an impact. “If you have patients who benefited from new treatments recently, ask them to share their stories with you and the AAAAI. With these stories, we can share how research makes a profound and sustained impact on patient’s lives.”

Dr. Davis also emphasized that the voices of the healthcare community matter to elected officials, and that no one should feel discouraged about speaking up. “Everybody’s voice makes a huge difference,” she said. “Most legislators don’t hear from a lot of physicians, and therefore a physician’s voice is impactful and influential. We underestimate the power we have as healthcare leaders on our local representatives. If anyone feels as if they are not going to make a difference, I’m here to say it is untrue – you absolutely will.”