Adelaide Tovar, a scientist at the University of Michigan, experienced feelings of impostor syndrome due to her background and lack of academic preparation. However, she received a prestigious NIH grant that symbolizes acceptance and career advancement. The grant, part of the MOSAIC program aimed at increasing diversity in biomedical research, is now at risk due to funding cuts during the Trump administration. Tovar and other recipients fear that being associated with the now-defunct program could negatively impact their future job prospects and research opportunities due to political pressures against diversity initiatives.
I felt like receiving the award was a form of acceptance, like I had finally made it. But I think many of us now fear that this is going to poison the rest of our careers.
The loss of funding - coupled with President Trumpâs crusade against diversity programs - may transform a grant that was supposed to jump-start their careers into a blemish on their résumé.
We might end up blacklisted by the NIH because of having this award - for who we are.
The NIH's MOSAIC grant program was created by the first Trump administration to foster a new generation of diverse scientists in biomedical research.
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