Leaders at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine say they will continue to recruit diverse participants in clinical research studies despite the Trump administration's threats to cut research funding for any university that uses diversity as a criteria in its work.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, his administration has targeted institutions, including universities, that use DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, as a criteria in their programming, including funding cuts to those institutions.
However, despite the medical school receiving $289 million in federal funding through the National Institutes of Health in 2024, CWRU will not change its clinical research practices, said Dr. Stan Gerson, dean of CWRU's School of Medicine.
"I'm not particularly worried, to be honest with you," he said after after a June 10 Comprehensive Cancer Center presentation. "I think there's a lot of chatter and activity. All that's done to me is raise the awareness of the importance for understanding different populations. It's not an issue of diversity, equity and inclusion. It's an issue with patient care between the patient and the doctor."
CWRU has long been a part of a consortium with local hospital systems, The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative, which includes the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, MetroHealth and the local VA, to better target minority and underserved communities' health needs and build trust with those communities. Part of that effort has been to engage more minority groups in clinical studies to ensure that any new medical discoveries more effectively treat those groups.
CWRU is using a $56.3 million, seven-year National Institutes of Health grant to accomplish these goals, focusing on Hispanic, Black, LGBTQ+, rural and senior communities, as well as individuals with disabilities. The grant, awarded Aug. 2, 2023, is the fourth round of funding for the collaborative, building on nearly $175 million received from the NIH since 2007.
Despite the politics of the moment, ensuring the best treatments for patients is the ultimate goal, Gerson said.
"There will always be shifts in attitudes and approaches in the political sphere and NIH priorities and (Department of Health and Human Services) priorities," he said. "Our job is to do our best with our expertise at discovering what ails our patients, what the unmet medical needs are, and to devote our research and discovery efforts so that we can better patient outcomes as soon as we possibly can."
Meanwhile, Dr. Gary Schwartz, director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, visited members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, including Sens. Bernie Moreno (R) and Jon Husted, (R) and Rep. Bob Latta (R), to make a case for fully funding the school's cancer research programs as there have been discussions of cuts of up to 40% to the National Cancer Institute's overall budget in 2025. CWRU's cancer center received $26 million from NCI in 2024.
"I was in Washington two weeks ago going door-to-door to congressmen and senators' offices explaining our position and the importance of cancer research and sustainable funding," Schwartz told attendees of the June 10 presentation. "I have to say the reception is pretty positive, but we have challenges. But we have to overcome those, because I think unless we are committed to funding cancer programs in this country, then we are in jeopardy of losing our way at our moral center."
If these cuts go through they "will be devastating to our community," he said, adding that clinical research will suffer. "There'll have to be severe cutbacks in faculty and staffing and our mission to carry the latest advances in cancer medicine to the people in Northeast Ohio and Cleveland. So, am I concerned? Yes, but we persevere."
