About Us
Who We Are
Our team is composed of 70+ off-duty and former NIH staff, supported by community allies. Many of us are Bethesda Declaration organizers, and along with bringing this experience to our work we bring our scientific expertise, knowledge of government operations, and understanding of the academic research ecosystem.
Our Mission
27 UNIHTED, started by former rank-and-file NIH staff, aims to support the future and integrity of publicly funded health research in the U.S.. We keep true to the mission of the NIH to support rigorous discovery and apply that knowledge to enhance health for all people. We support the research workforce and lead science advocacy efforts by organizing the research community to activate and inform the public, with the goal of driving policy and legislative actions. Together these efforts will lead to a better future for health research.
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.
Why It Matters
The NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. This funding has supported the development of more than 99% of recent 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, wasted taxpayer dollars, disrupted the workforce, and increased the 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 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.
Our Leaders
Major Accomplishments
• Five month SBIR reauthorization campaign engaging the public, grantees, and former NIH staff leading to reauthorization of the SBIR program on April 13th, 2026
• Three rallies with 1700+ total attendees in support of the NIH and Bethesda Declaration signers
• Held weekly NIH Vigils, every Saturday, rain-or-shine, for more than one year
• 20+ Saturday food-drive pickups, collecting 2,500+ lbs of food and raising $20,000 for local food banks
• 40+ peer-support and wellness sessions for current and former federal workers
• 20+ career workshops, power hours, resume reviews, and coaching sessions (including partner events)
• Eight 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/month)
• 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 NIH staff (personal capacity) community forums, where individuals with first-hand experience can outline changes to the NIH and inspire the scientific community to organize and advocate in response