NIH diversity programs doubled the odds of getting a PhD, new 20-year study finds

Undergraduates who took part in the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) diversity programs were twice as likely to go on and earn a PhD than peers in a comparison group, a new study published in Cell Reports has found. STAT reports the work provides the longest follow-up data yet on the programs' effectiveness.

The programs in question include MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers), established in 1972, and RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement), which together aimed to support racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups underrepresented in the health sciences. The Trump administration cancelled the programs in early 2025, citing a "federal reallocation of resources".

Led by Dr Aaron Velasco-Cruz at the University of Michigan, the team matched data on roughly 13,500 students admitted between 2000 and 2020 with a comparison cohort. Among program participants, 26% later earned a PhD in a biomedical field, compared with 13% in the comparison group.

The findings echo an earlier internal NIH evaluation. A 2018 preliminary analysis had found a 70% higher PhD application rate among participants; the new study extends the follow-up and answers the "did they finish?" question.

Velasco-Cruz told STAT the results were "not just a doctoral statistic but a measurement of who is in the biomedical workforce". The study also found that 38% of program participants went on to academic biomedical research roles and 22% moved into public-health positions at the NIH or the FDA.

The NIH diversity programs were closed after the Departments of Education and of Health and Human Services withdrew federal support for many DEI-focused funding streams in 2025. The administration framed the move as a "return to merit-based criteria"; Democrats described it as a "long-term blow to the biomedical workforce".

Professor Karen Emmons of Harvard's School of Public Health, not involved in the study, said the results "go beyond the DEI debate". "Biomedical research needs a workforce that reflects the whole society it serves. These programs were a measurable instrument for that representation," Emmons said.

The program closures directly affect about 130 universities and 8,500 undergraduates across the country. Many participants have also lost lab placements, mentorship access and paid summer research stipends. Some universities are using state and private funds to keep similar programs running on a smaller scale.

An NIH spokesperson told STAT the agency "remains committed to protecting the research pipeline" but offered no concrete timeline for whether diversity programs will resume. The American Society for Cell Biology has proposed an independent funding mechanism to reopen the programs.

Velasco-Cruz said the goal of the study was not just to defend the former programs but to provide data for future design. "We can now see which components actually work: mentor matching, sustainable financial support, long-term follow-up. Any new program that keeps those design principles can reproduce these outcomes," he said.