BOSTON — Jeremy Berg walked on stage sporting a curious look: a red tie patterned with a word cloud drawn from the applications of 197 researchers who vied to be part of a National Institutes of Health initiative aimed at accelerating junior scientists’ academic careers.
The MOSAIC program, which provided researchers seed funding to start their own labs, was eliminated months ago after the federal government deprioritized and cut funding for scientific research the Trump administration deemed as promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. The former director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences wore the tie — featuring words such as “CELL,” “DISEASE,” and “EPIGENETICS — to draw attention to research areas affected by months of turmoil.
“It’s been like living in a washing machine, it’s been constant chaos,” said Berg, speaking Thursday on a STAT Summit panel of former NIH leaders and a researcher documenting the impact of funding cuts.
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