HSPH Professor Joins Lawsuit Challenging NIH Cuts to Research Grants

Harvard School of Public Health professor Brittany M. Charlton joined a lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday, alleging that the Trump administration’s cuts to equity-related research grants violated the Fifth Amendment and required Congressional approval.

The suit — which also named the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ’76, and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya as defendants — was also filed by the American Public Health Association, the United Automobile Workers, and three other researchers facing frozen or terminated grants.

Charlton, who studies reproductive health in LGBTQ adolescents and heads the LGBTQ Health Center of Excellence, has seen five of her NIH grants cut. The future of the Harvard center remains unclear following the funding cuts, which totaled $4.2 million. On top of two previously canceled grants, the loss amounted to 95 percent of its funding.

“Ending these NIH grants wastes taxpayer money and years of hard work to answer the world’s most pressing biomedical questions,” Charlton said in a press release. “This is an attack on scientific progress itself.”

The total funding cuts for all of Charlton’s research projects are expected to be more than $9 million.

The suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, challenges the abrupt termination of all grants and applications following new directives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which halted funding for research involving gender identity, diversity, COVID-19, and vaccines.

The agency claimed that such research “no longer effectuates agency priorities.”

The lawsuit cited seven counts of violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how federal agencies develop and issue regulations. It alleged that Trump administration’s cuts to NIH-funded research are part of “a reckless and illegal purge” that directly affects “topics and populations they disfavor.”

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union and other gropus. They are seeking to have the NIH grants restored and the recent actions deemed unconstitutional.

“Cancelling grants solely due to political ideology has severe public health consequences and violates the law,” Jessie J. Rossman, the legal director of the Massachusetts ACLU, said.

The complaint alleged the termination of the grants was political in nature. Some termination notices were drafted by members of the Department of Government Efficiency, billionaire Elon Musk’s slash-and-burn cost-cutting initiative, according to the complaint.

The complaint states that plaintiffs have “suffered extensive harm from Defendants’ unlawful actions.” Many of those named in the filing, including Charlton, have seen their research teams face potential cancellation and patients lose access to medical treatments.

Charlton was forced to fire the center’s director, cancel appointments with research subjects, and wind down projects. The funding cuts have also affected Charlton’s salary and pay for 18 other researchers.

The lawsuit argued the grant cancellation is a violation of the NIH’s congressional mandate to support research in the medical field that studies diverse populations and underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, and LGBTQ people.

The future of Charlton’s research remains unclear and has faced immense setbacks. Her research studies the impact of legislation bills on mental health of the LGBTQ population and the health of children born to LGBQ women.

The U.S. District Court for Massachusetts has assigned the case to judge Brian E. Murphy, nominated by President Joseph R. Biden.

—Staff writer Claire Jiang can be reached at claire.jiang@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @_clairejiang_.

—Staff writer Rauf Nawaz can be reached at rauf.nawaz@thecrimson.com.