More than 70 nutrition scientists call for freedom from censorship at NIH

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25974093-for-j-bhattacharya-061225-final-1/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9x179y0BhgyVHJRHW3INqpipAPnG-bUiwaefg-TU6AXcnDv5iEyZ1fYNwa4GggmQhoPT--VbH0e9yTvyNB7NutqLigmw&_hsmi=366507755&utm_content=366507755&utm_source=hs_email#document/p1 More than 70 nutrition scientists call for freedom from censorship at NIH Another day, another concerned public letter from scientists to National Institutes of Health director Jay Bhattacharya about the direction of the agency under his leadership. More than 70 top U.S. nutrition scientists signed a letter yesterday demanding that Bhattacharya address censorship at the agency, writing that their colleagues “need the freedom to present their findings in scientific meetings without political oversight, and to author and co-author freely in the scientific literature.” The letter is in part a response to censorship allegations from former NIH nutrition scientist Kevin Hall, whose groundbreaking research on ultra-processed foods was cut short when he quit in April, citing meddling from his superiors. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also recently threatened to bar NIH scientists from publishing in leading journals like JAMA and the Lancet “because they’re all corrupt.” The letter also asks for more investment in nutrition research at the agency, including doubling the current budget to $4 billion. This follows Monday’s letter from hundreds of NIH employees to Bhattacharya, which rebuked everything from the agency’s cancellation of LGTQ+ research grants to the proposed cuts to support for indirect research costs at universities. In the words of my colleague Anil Oza: “Jay’s inbox is FULL this week.” Read the letter here. – Sarah Todd https://www.statnews.com/2025/06/09/nih-cuts-policies-provoke-employee-protest-letter-bethesda-declaration/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_fgToNWgqhHUXh3IctIrrFrszxAqtsYtiNMnf8lR-Kt0FqaK90Oc8n0WmXnysf5fTrHfC-P-WJJMk9_0UnWCde6WqbOg&_hsmi=366507755&utm_content=366507755&utm_source=hs_email