Several grants were delayed or canceled after earlier extensions or funding, with some funds ultimately terminated despite prior approval and later reauthorization in different contexts.

The administration canceled several NIH-funded grants at Emory University and the University of Pittsburgh, totaling about $15 million, aimed at studying how discrimination and racism influence brain health and the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Experts criticize the moves as scientifically unfounded and legally dubious, defending epidemiological methods—surveys, self-reports, and other tools—as valid and essential for understanding structural risk factors.

This cancellation pattern fits a broader NIH trend toward DEI-related topics, echoing a separate 2025 case where DEI funds were canceled, prompting lawsuits and court rulings; the current action is seen as a new test of legal viability.

Researchers at both universities describe the moves as politically motivated interference that undermines scientific inquiry into racism, DEI, and health disparities.

NIH communications say the projects no longer align with agency priorities, criticizing self-reported survey measures and the lack of objective variables, even as researchers argue these methods are scientifically valid and informative.

Grant specifics include Rosso’s project on how discrimination affects Alzheimer's risk in Black communities; Cohen’s study on socially driven risk factors via surveys, imaging, and biomarkers; and Fani’s Emory project on racial discrimination’s impact on white matter using wearables and MRIs.