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NIH Director's COVID Comments Spark Staff Walkout

Approximately 27 minutes into a May 27, 2025, town hall at NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Md., a significant number of NIH staff exited the meeting in protest.
The walkout followed Director Jay Bhattacharya's suggestion that NIH may have partly funded research causing the COVID-19 pandemic, which heightened existing staff concerns.
Staff also protested worsening work conditions, including disruptions from staff reductions, policy barring foreign funding-sharing, and a looming 40% NIH budget cut citing Wuhan Institute research.
Bhattacharya called the walkout a form of "silent dissent" and continued the meeting despite union members seeking to discuss workplace issues a week later.
The event signals ongoing tensions at NIH over leadership, research funding, and policies that could affect pandemic prevention and scientific collaboration.

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A significant internal divide has surfaced within the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) after some controversial comments made by the agency’s Director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, during a recent town hall meeting. The situation escalated rapidly as dozens of staff members walked out in protest, highlighting the growing tensions between NIH leadership and its employees The walkout took place during a scheduled town hall when Dr. Bhattacharya d…

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