Interim Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Perelman School of Medicine Dean Jonathan Epstein addressed uncertainty surrounding federal funding for research grants in an email to the Penn Medicine community on Thursday.
Epstein’s Jan. 23 email comes after 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s administration moved to freeze communications from United States health agencies — including the National Institutes of Health — earlier this week. The pause is set to last through at least the end of the month.
In the email, Epstein added that Penn was working to understand the impact of these changes and acknowledged the “anxiety” they were causing.
“Please know that we are working with our academic and government relations colleagues to understand and respond to the potential impact of these events,” Epstein wrote. “We are working closely with your department chairs and institute/center directors, and we remain focused on our strategic priorities.”
In the message, Epstein added that the current circumstances reminded him of times during the COVID-19 pandemic, when “information arrived frequently but the implications for the future were hard to predict.”
“Then and at other times during our long history, we have learned how adaptable and resilient we are when we support one another and innovate to meet every challenge,” Epstein continued. “I believe that our strength lies in our shared commitment to our missions, to our patients, to our trainees, and to one another.”
A request for comment was left with a Penn Medicine spokesperson.
A similar message sent on the same day from Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Susan Furth stated that CHOP was also monitoring the pauses to NIH communications.
“We are monitoring these developments closely and are working with our contacts in Washington D.C., as we attempt to get reliable information and clarity about the immediate impact and updates,” Furth wrote.
According to the Associated Press, Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink sent a memo to HHS staff on Jan. 21 instructing them about an “immediate pause” on any new guidance, regulations, and press releases until at least Feb. 1.
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