About Us

Our Mission

27 UNIHTED, started by off-duty and former rank-and-file NIH staff, aims to support the integrity of publicly funded health research in the US. We keep true to the mission of the NIH, advocating for fundamental discoveries about living systems to apply this knowledge to enhance health for all people. We lead science advocacy efforts by organizing the research community to activate and inform the public, facilitate scientific awareness, drive policy and legislative actions, and support the research workforce. Together these efforts will lead to a better future for health research.

Who we are:

Our team is composed of 70+ active off-duty and former NIH staff, many of us Bethesda Declaration Organizers, supported by community allies. Our volunteers bring their scientific expertise, understanding of government operations, and experience with the academic research ecosystem

Our Approach:

Since our launch in the wake of the federal workforce terminations, we have been supporting the NIH community as they advocate against not only immense disruptions brought about by reduced capacity but also policy changes grounded in political ideology as opposed to scientific rigor. We do this by providing community and organizational infrastructure. Our community provides impacted individuals with vital social support through these difficult moments, while our infrastructure makes the advocacy itself possible.

Why it Matters:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. This funding has supported the development of more than 99% of the FDA-approved drugs, while directly supporting 400,000 jobs and generating 2.5x returns in economic activity. Despite NIH’s value and a long history of bipartisan support, policy changes since January 2025 have destabilized funding resulting in 20% fewer new grants despite flat budgets, wasted taxpayer dollars, disrupted the workforce, and politicization of science. Current advocacy efforts that focus on increasing NIH funding no longer apply. We launched 27 UNIHTED to meet the moment and address today’s broader political context to solve the systemic issues that are currently harming the health and well-being of Americans and people across the globe.

Our Leaders

Monet Goode

Emmet Marsh

Eleanor Parks

Karl Holland

Our History

In early 2025, mass terminations and forced departures across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services displaced thousands of public servants, including >10%  of the NIH workforce. These losses disrupted research programs and threatened the continuity of life-saving research studies. 27 UNIHTED was formed to channel our commitment to public service into community support and public education.

Major Accomplishments

• 5 month SBIR reauthorization campaign engaging the public, grantees and former NIH staff leading to reauthorization on April 13th, 2026

• 3 rallies with 1000+ total attendees in support of the NIH and Bethesda Declaration signers

• Held weekly NIH Vigils, every Saturday, rain-or-shine, for more than 1 year

• 20+ Saturday food-drive pickups; 2,500+ lbs of food and $20,000 raised for local food banks

• 40+ peer-support and wellness sessions for current and former federal workers

• 20+ career workshops, power hours, resume, and coaching sessions (including partner events)

• 8 NIH worker-owned businesses highlighted to support entrepreneurship

• 25+ community stories collected and shared, 50+ Calls to Action, 45k+ reach through social media (1-2M views/mo) 

• Hosted a survey organized by fired probationary workers from across the government to understand the changes to this population and the impacts to the American public a year after their terminations

• Utilize our volunteer members’ expertise to create fact checking materials, author articles and develop informational materials diving into the direct impact of the changes to the NIH over the last year

• Sponsor town halls of current and former NIH workers in their personal capacity talking about changes to the NIH and how the scientific community can respond


Campaigns

Bethesda Declaration

SBIR

Probtionary Project

BioHealth Beats

Our Work

Educational Materials

On Our Substack: Topical pieces on current issues facing:

  • Peer Review

  • Advisory Councils

  • Fact Checking

Informtional Pieces on

  • Autism

  • Peer Review

Congressional outreach

  • bring volunteers, impactd individuals, and grantees to congress

  • weekly congressional newsletter

Communications/Rapid Response

Community

Offering community supports, events, and things