Med School Faces Federal Cutbacks

The Medical School may lose up to $3 million in Federal funds next year as a result of President Nixon's proposed cutbacks in revenue for medical research.

In addition to cutting research funds, the administration's budget plan would completely eliminate all Federal scholarships for medical school students in fiscal year 1974. About 20 per cent of the Medical School's scholarships are now supported by Federal funds.

Richard J. Olendski, associate dean of the faculty of medicine for Financial Affairs, said yesterday that it is "not easy to appraise the effect" of the administration's new budget cuts. "The picture changes daily from Washington. Let's hope this is not the last word," he said.

"There is a chance that the proposed budget will be altered by Congress," Olendski added.

Olendski explained that 60 per cent of the Medical School's overall expenditures are Federally funded.

An article in the February 18 Boston Sunday Globe stated that more than half of Massachusetts's $120 million in Federal funds received this year for biomedical research went to Harvard, Tufts and Boston University Medical Schools and their teaching hospitals.

The article said that the budget cut would mean a loss of $1.7 million at Tufts and $1.1 million at B.U.

Olendski said that the figures quoted were probably accurate, though he could not verify them.

Medical research will nationally suffer a 6 to 10 per cent cut in Federal funding beginning July 1. The effect of inflation produces a real cut of 15 to 20 per cent.

The Globe article estimated that this year's general support grants--additional awards made to institutions receiving Federal monies for specific research projects--will be reduced anywhere from 25 to 85 per cent.

Special project grants will also be eliminated under the new budget. These grants--which have been used for projects such as the recruitment and tutoring of minority group students--total about $150,000 annually for the Medical School.

Olendski said that he expects grants for post-graduate training to be among the most severely affected grants.

The cuts in research funding are coupled with cuts in other sources of Federal financing to medical schools and hospitals, the Globe article reported.

"We're facing hard times," Olendski said.