Johns Hopkins University researchers impacted by federal funding cuts

Johns Hopkins researchers are worried about their funding as federal cuts continue to be made by President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been pulled from colleges and universities nationwide, including here in Maryland.

Johns Hopkins University has been one of the top recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for many years.

The university didn't have a specific number for how deep NIH cuts are at this time. However, one grant recipient that was set for nearly $50,000 said his goal was just to help people with his research.

Funding terminated

Dr. Tom Carpino, who recently earned his Ph.D. in infectious disease epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, is investigating the stigma associated with mpox, formally known as monkeypox, and collecting data on who's testing and getting vaccinated.

To make his work possible, Carpino had an NIH grant worth $48,974 -- or so he thought.

In his email last week, he noticed an award letter from NIH.

"I was confused at first," Carpino said.

But the letter's intention was clear on the fifth page, where it reads, "...the award is terminated effective 3/10/2025."

For Carpino, to see those words, was devastating.

"[The grant] was covering my tuition, it was covering the research funds, but it was my livelihood. My ability to do my Ph.D. was in part because of the funding I received from NIH," Carpino said.

The letter also alludes to why Carpino's grant was cut.

"It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research activities that focus gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment no longer effectuates agency priorities," it reads.

Carpino said his research doesn't explore those ideas.

"Vaccination is one piece of the puzzle when you're studying an infectious disease," he said. "So without talking about vaccination, you're not looking at the full picture of the disease you're studying."

Worries over future funding cuts

Johns Hopkins University has been a top earner of NIH funding for many years, even receiving the most funding out of any organization and institution in the last two years.

For the current fiscal year, the university received more than $130 million, according to NIH data. 

Carpino said he's heard from colleagues who haven't lost their funding yet, but they are worried it'll be on the chopping block soon.

For now, he's figuring out how to compensate for the money he thought he had.

"It's hard for me to grapple with the idea that public health is a political issue, that it's a contentious issue to care about the well-being of our society," he said.

Other cuts at Johns Hopkins

Johns Hopkins University lost more than $800 million in USAID funding, which has caused the loss of nearly 2,000 positions globally.

"Johns Hopkins is immensely proud of the work done by our colleagues in Jhpiego, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the School of Medicine to care for mothers and infants, fight disease, provide clean drinking water, and advance countless other critical, life-saving efforts around the world," read a statement from a university spokesperson.