Research at Georgia universities has already taken a hit. What could be lost?

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Georgia State University's School of Public Health hosted its third Public Health Research Day on April 17, 2025.

Credit: Sofi Gratas/GPB News

Public health research has been caught in the crosshairs as the federal government tries to reduce its budget.  

The National Institutes of Health is the largest public funder of bio-medical research and provides millions in grants to research institutions annually. Since February, the current administration has made major changes to how the federal agency — which falls under the Department of Health and Human Services — can operate.  

That includes slashing staff under NIH divisions, and putting a cap on how much universities can get in grant funds. That policy proposal is currently tied up in court.

Some research grant cancellations from the federal government have been targeted, while others have come as a result of delayed applications or similar disruptions to the status quo.  

• RELATED: CDC funding cuts impact Georgia vaccine access, other public health programs 

Georgia’s own university system is being affected. Institutions high on the list for research expenditures, like Emory University, are scaling back spending to prepare for cuts. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, a spokesperson said 22 federally funded research projects have been canceled and six have been put on hold.  

Meanwhile, the University of Georgia has reportedly urged staff to continue work amid uncertainty of what will happen next.

At Georgia State University’s third annual Public Health Research Day, students and faculty presented projects on disparities in tobacco use, the past, present and future of HIV and how to tackle mental health concerns among migrants.  

Many of the research projects presented fell under an umbrella of healthy equity, work that aims to reduce the barriers faced by many low-income, unhoused, disabled or otherwise socioeconomically disadvantaged people to a healthy life. Research at the university also takes a person-first approach, said Dan Whitaker, professor and associate dean for research at the School of Public Health. 

“I mean, the topics are as broad as public health itself,” Whitaker said. “The size and the scope is smaller, but again, our hallmark is really having that community connection.” 

There was even a case made for mapping public toilet access in Atlanta, because sanitation is public health, too. One student called an audit of accessible toilets at public transit stations “disappointing.”  

Georgia State’s research budget is much smaller than that of other universities, but around two-thirds of it is federally funded, Whitaker said.  

Recent cuts mean GSU will have to pivot. Whitaker emphasized the importance of a “diversified” portfolio with investments from the state and foundations, for example. The university has already made moves toward increasing its own investments in research.

Georgia State did not provide detailed information on funding that’s been cut by the publishing time of this story.  

“I think everyone is thinking about diversifying now, but the fact of the matter is, the feds fund the vast majority of research,” Whitaker said. “We just have to keep plugging away and ... do what we can do with the resources we have available.”  

Even if a year from now, public health looks vastly different, he said.  

Some in the classroom are feeling the tension, such as graduate student Arielle Doobay, who is about ready to defend her thesis.  

“I do feel a bit threatened, like, job market-wise,” Doobay said. She knows people who were swept up in the “reductions in force” at health agencies.  

But Doobay is not discouraged. 

“For me, it's knowing that our administration isn't forever," she said. "I'll still be here when it's over."  

Her classmate Kadiatou, who's in her first year toward a master’s degree in public health, did not want her last name published over concerns for her future job search. She said it can feel frustrating to reflect on how much has changed since she entered the program about a year ago, when public health felt like a far more feasible career path.  

Yet, seeing work presented in the small conference room at her university is uplifting in its own way. 

“There's so much being done on the groundwork level, and I think that's what makes public health so special,” she said.