Katie Edwards Speaks with CNN About the Heartbreak of Shutting Down Clinical Studies

Last month, Professor Katie Edwards was featured on CNN’s “One Thing” to discuss the effects of federal cuts to health research. Edwards — whose research focuses on preventing and responding to sexual violence among LGBTQ+ and highly vulnerable populations — has had six NIH grants cancelled this year. During the conversation, she specifically detailed the gut-wrenching process of shutting down a clinical study.

“It's been, quite frankly, it's been really chaotic. I mean, I think we've been doing our best to manage this in the most ethical way, putting participant safety as our top priority. This is unprecedented and so no amount of training in your PhD or institutional resources are prepared for this onslaught of determinations,” said Edwards. “The analogy I can think of is if you have someone on an operating table and mid-surgery, you just say, okay, we're gonna leave, and you just leave them there. I mean it's really dangerous, especially when you are working with groups of people who you know are experiencing disproportionate burdens of violence, suicidality, mental health problems.”

“It's heartbreaking and it makes me emotional because I've devoted my life to trying to help kids who often don't have a voice and who are really experiencing some of the most adverse situations. And knowing that our interventions are working, and to see that they can just overnight be taken away, is it's really hard to bear because you feel really powerless.”