Westbank Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, criticized the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for allegedly using federal taxpayer dollars to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices in research institutions.

The NIH’s Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program provides federal grants to research institutions to enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the NIH requires all grant recipients to use "diversity statements" for their newly funded hires.

The report further indicates that some institutions receiving NIH FIRST funding penalize job candidates who advocate for colorblind equality or express skepticism about dividing students and faculty into racially segregated affinity groups. One grant recipient required search committee members to attend an "equity-minded hiring" seminar and emphasized redefining merit by incorporating indicators such as education in social justice and experience as an equity advocate. Another institution's NIH grant progress report described a rubric weighing "commitment to diversity" equally with "research potential," even though the school's program focused on cancer, cardiovascular health, and neuroscience.

In March, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reported that the U.S. is projected to face a shortage of between 20,200 and 40,400 primary care physicians and between 10,100 and 19,900 surgical specialists by 2036. Although the FIRST program applies to research faculty rather than primary care providers, Cassidy expressed concerns about its broader implications.

"I support having more diverse biomedical research," wrote Dr. Cassidy. "However, allowing schools to use taxpayer dollars to support 'woke' hiring criteria pushed by progressive political activists goes far beyond bipartisan congressional intent."

"It is essential that we as a nation do all that we can to support our vibrant medical research community and encourage our nation’s best and brightest to pursue careers in medicine regardless of race or ethnicity," continued Dr. Cassidy.

Cassidy has requested detailed information from NIH Director Bertagnolli regarding efforts related to recruitment amid physician shortages and specifics about the administration of the FIRST program.