Vanderbilt University Medical Center grant cuts may include faculty, research diversity initiatives

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is on a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) list of institutions set for grant termination. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Federal grant cuts to research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center could include funding for programs meant to improve diversity in medical research faculty and research participants, according to data released by the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center — a medical system giant in the southeast that handles more than 3.5 million patient visits annually — expects to lay off 650 employees due to grant and funding cuts made by the Trump Administration, the organization announced in a statement on June 20. Staffing cuts will be focused in research, administrative and support roles.

The health care system plans to reduce its operating costs by $300 million “in response to the impact of budgetary actions in Washington, D.C. related to government-sponsored research and patient care,” VUMC stated.

VUMC declined to provide more specific information on the research projects and grants impacted by federal cuts, but DOGE’s database indicates funding retractions for at least two multi-year VUMC initiatives receiving support from the National Institutes of Health.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center to lay off up to 650 after Trump administration grant cuts

The Vanderbilt Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (Vanderbilt FIRST) program aims to recruit more women and people of minority racial or ethnic groups to the faculty. 

“Scientific workforce diversity has been a longstanding challenge, and lack of progress negatively impacts innovation, scientific discovery, and ultimately public health,” the program’s description on federal grant database USASpending.gov states.

NIH allocated nearly $6 million toward the program, but the site shows about $1.4 million had been paid before the grant was scrapped, totaling an estimated $4.6 million loss for VUMC.

Another program aimed to bolster engagement for participants in research, particularly for participants of diverse backgrounds. 

“Our nationwide community of participants and researchers is partnering together to ensure that everyone is included in research,” the “All of Us” research program’s page on the NIH website states. “The information our participants generously share is fueling thousands of studies to better understand health and disease and enable more tailored and equitable approaches to care.”

Roughly $2.8 million was obligated for the latest “All of Us” initiative, and USASpending.gov shows about $2 million has been funnelled by the government, adding up to an $800,000 loss for VUMC.

While the DOGE database indicates the types of programs targeted for funding cuts by the Trump Administration, it does not present a complete picture of all funding cuts to an organization. The database may not be regularly updated to reflect the reinstatement of funds. Its data is also imperfect. A previous analysis by Tennessee Lookout found that while DOGE listed only one terminated grant worth $305,000 for Middle Tennessee State University, that grant was really one of several canceled grants with federal funding roots at the university. 

DOGE’s records show another unidentified grant for VUMC initially worth $27.4 million was terminated with $4.4 million left unpaid.

The staying power of NIH grant cuts is unclear. A federal judge ruled in a multi-state court case earlier this month that the Trump Administration must reinstate some grants after declaring their termination was “void and illegal.” The ruling’s order to restore grant funding applied only to grants mentioned in that lawsuit and another similar suit filed by the American Public Health Association.

VUMC is not listed as a party in either lawsuit.

Anita Wadhwani contributed reporting.