Questions swirl as vacancies on NIH advisory boards go unfilled

Megan Molteni reports on discoveries at the frontiers of genomic medicine, neuroscience and reproductive technologies. She joined STAT in 2021 after covering health and science at WIRED. You can reach Megan on Signal at mmolteni.13.

Since President Trump took office last January, only one new member has been added to the NIH advisory boards, key groups that make final recommendations on what research to fund at universities and medical centers, dwindling their ranks as the terms of current members expired and a handful resigned. The majority of 25 boards are now operating with less than half their full staff, according to STAT’s analysis of annual board activity reports submitted in late December to a federal database.

Vacancies have left many panels without the range of expertise needed to make informed funding decisions. Some appear to be at risk of violating federal laws governing the composition and operation of boards.

It is not clear why the Trump administration has not taken steps to fill the growing vacancies. The loss of several longtime staff members of the NIH committee’s management office, including its director, Claire Harris, who retired last year, is likely contributing to the problem. But current and former NIH officials fear the pause is part of a broader upheaval and growing politicization of NIH decision-making.