Politics & Science at the National Institutes of Health
Inside the National Institutes of Health

I am a senior scientist with the National Institutes of Health. My thoughts below certainly do not reflect any official policy or position of the National Institutes of Health, and I certainly do not presume to speak for all of my colleagues at NIH. However, over the last year or so, it is clear that a number of factors have threatened the mission of the Institutes and the morale of the staff.

I wrote this call for action because I believe the extramural scientific community should be aware of the thoughts and feelings of many of us within NIH who work with them to advance science.

This essay is unsigned. I chose to withhold my signature to emphasize the point that it represents the sentiment of not a solitary individual, but rather the sentiments of many administrative, scientific, and support staff working within the many Institutes and Centers of the NIH. I also opted not to provide a signature due to concerns that doing so might negatively impact my institute, my immediate supervisors, my colleagues, and myself.

I appreciate your interest in our struggles, I thank you for taking the time to read the essay below, and I urge you to act.

- The Essay