NIH staff say leadership ignored dissent letter a year after Bethesda Declaration

A new report released on the one‑year anniversary of the Bethesda Declaration says NIH leadership has largely ignored the concerns raised by staff in their open letter of dissent.

The report, titled “The Bethesda Declaration One Year Later, Continuing Harms to the NIH Mission,” lists nine main issues-including changes to peer review and low morale-and offers proposed solutions.

While some staff members, such as program officer Jenna Norton, have suggested that conditions are improving, the authors of the report argue that the agency’s response has been insufficient.

The original dissent involved hundreds of NIH employees who met with director Jay Bhattacharya after publishing the letter, but the follow‑up indicates many still feel their grievances have been overlooked.