Straws in the Wind - Part 37

From Tennessee Lookout: Federal grant cuts to research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center could include funding for programs meant to improve diversity in medical research faculty and research participants, according to data released by the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency. Vanderbilt University Medical Center — a medical system giant in the southeast that handles more than 3.5 million patient visits annually — expects to lay off 650 employees due to grant and funding cuts made by the Trump Administration, the organization announced in a statement on June 20. Staffing cuts will be focused in research, administrative and support roles.

The health care system plans to reduce its operating costs by $300 million “in response to the impact of budgetary actions in Washington, D.C. related to government-sponsored research and patient care,” VUMC stated. VUMC declined to provide more specific information on the research projects and grants impacted by federal cuts, but DOGE’s database indicates funding retractions for at least two multi-year VUMC initiatives receiving support from the National Institutes of Health. The Vanderbilt Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (Vanderbilt FIRST) program aims to recruit more women and people of minority racial or ethnic groups to the faculty...

Full story at https://tennesseelookout.com/2025/06/30/vanderbilt-university-medical-center-grant-cuts-may-include-faculty-research-diversity-initiatives/.