A Decade of Disruption: STAT News Reflects on Landmark Health and Science Stories
Washington, D.C. – As STAT News marks a decade of in-depth reporting on the intersection of health, science, and politics, a review of its coverage reveals a period of unprecedented upheaval and conversion, culminating in a dramatic reshaping of the federal government’s science agenda under the Trump governance. from breakthroughs in gene editing to the COVID-19 pandemic and, most recently, a sweeping overhaul of research funding and diversity initiatives, STAT’s reporting has consistently illuminated the critical challenges and pivotal moments defining the last ten years.
The past decade has witnessed exponential advancements in medical technology alongside escalating political interference in scientific processes. STAT’s consistent focus on these dynamics has provided crucial context for policymakers, researchers, and the public, notably as the landscape of health and science funding, regulation, and public trust has undergone important strain. This retrospective examines key milestones covered by STAT, highlighting the evolving complexities and enduring consequences of a rapidly changing world.
Jan. 2025 to Present: Trump’s Upheaval of Science
From Inauguration Day, STAT’s reporting team has extensively covered the transformation of the federal government’s health and science agenda under President Trump, with a particular focus on vaccine policy, the MAHA movement, and the impact on science and medical research. STAT first reported on January 30, 2025, that the Trump administration planned to leverage billions of dollars in research grants to pressure universities and medical centers to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and align with the president’s ideology, anticipating the subsequent crackdown on institutions like Harvard.
Reporting also revealed that grant freezes and terminations disproportionately impacted early-career scientists, raising concerns about a potential “brain drain” within the scientific community. By the 100-day mark of Trump’s term, STAT documented that National Institutes of health (NIH) grant funding was lagging several billion dollars behind previous years’ levels. STAT profiled individuals directly affected by the turmoil in science and published a detailed timeline charting changes in the worlds of science and health,day by day.
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