Cancer immunotherapies. Heart valve replacements. Drugs for diabetes, depression, arthritis, heart disease. Every day, millions of ordinary Americans benefit from these and other medical treatments made possible through research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Indeed, broad bipartisan support for the NIH over the past few decades has ensured that the United States remains the top medical innovator in the world and the leader of the global research community.
As policymakers debate the focus and funding of federal agencies, it is critical that they continue to support robust federal funding for the NIH — funding that in 2024 supported more than 300,000 researchers at over 2,500 institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“Patients everywhere benefit from the extraordinary medical research made possible through the NIH — research that is taking place at academic medical centers across the country,” says Elena Fuentes-Afflick, MD, MPH, chief scientific officer at the AAMC.
In 2024, more than 80% of NIH funding supported research at scientific institutions across the country, with 60% of this research occurring on academic medical center campuses.
The AAMC has worked tirelessly in its advocacy to maintain robust federal funding growth for the NIH. In November 2024, the AAMC convened nearly 400 health and medical organizations to urge policymakers to fully fund the NIH, lauding their “longstanding, bipartisan commitment to predictable and sustained growth in medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health.” The AAMC also meets regularly with congressional representatives to demonstrate the value of NIH-funded research.
Nonetheless, funding for the NIH has not kept pace with inflation, as illustrated in the graphic below. While there has been an increase in the dollar amounts (current), when funding is adjusted for inflation (constant), NIH funding in 2024 was actually lower than in 2003.
NIH funding has not kept pace with inflation

“Robust annual funding growth for NIH is key to improving people’s health,” the nearly 400 health organizations declared in their 2024 statement to Congress. “NIH-funded research in nearly every congressional district leads to medical breakthroughs that benefit patients nationwide, advancing potential treatments and preventive strategies for cancer, Alzheimer’s, maternal health, and other persistent or emerging health threats.”
Below are some of the results that have benefited countless Americans.
NIH-funded research has real-life impact
NIH-funded research has led to the development of new ways to prevent, diagnose, treat, and manage infectious diseases (such as flu, Lyme, and hepatitis) and chronic diseases (such as stroke, diabetes, and arthritis). Typically, research is used by physicians, hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotech companies, and others to develop, refine, and bring to practice diagnostic tools, drugs, therapies, and procedures.
Here is just a small sampling of the real-world contributions of NIH research:
Cancer: The NIH National Cancer Institute is the world’s largest funder of cancer research. Thousands of research investigations, medical and preventive interventions, and public education efforts have contributed significantly to the decline and treatment of various forms of cancer. Cancer deaths in the United States declined 33% from 1991 through 2020, accounting for an estimated 3,820,800 extended lives.
Consider lung cancer: Screening interventions and clinical guidelines contributed to a 54% decline since 1990 in lung cancer deaths among U.S. men and a 30% decline since 2002 among U.S. women. Among NIH-supported advances: CT scans that provide earlier detection and numerous therapies, such as those that use a patient’s own immune system.
Heart disease: Deaths from heart disease in the United States declined 68% from 1969 to 2015, in part because of NIH-funded research that identified risk factors and spurred new prevention strategies and treatments. Knowledge about these risk factors — including smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure — has empowered people, in partnership with their health care providers, to change behaviors and living conditions that affect heart health.
Among advancements in heart disease are artificial heart valves. The NIH funded the development of the first artificial heart valve, including the first successful replacement at the NIH Clinical Center in 1960. Today, more than 100,000 heart valve replacements are performed each year in the United States.
Stroke: The NIH funded early studies and clinical trials for tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a medicine that breaks up blood clots, transforming stroke care to enable rapid intervention and spurring the creation of other treatments that are now widespread.
Drug development: The NIH has played a pivotal role in new drug development. One study concluded that “NIH funding contributed to research associated with every new drug approved from 2010-2019,” totaling more than 350 products.
The NIH also is a world leader in funding research to identify viral pathogens and develop vaccines to treat them. These include inoculations to protect people from RSV, HPV, hepatitis A, rotavirus, and, most recently, COVID-19.
Gene therapy: NIH-funded research on the immune system led to the development of the gene-editing technique CRISPR, which is revolutionizing therapies for genetic disorders that cause sickle cell disease and certain forms of blindness. Scientists hope that CRISPR could eventually cure blood disorders and make chemotherapy less toxic.
Aging: The NIH National Institute on Aging supports 495 active clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The trials include diagnostics, the disease process, drug and nondrug treatments, and caregiving.
Because of lifesaving results like these, the AAMC will continue to advocate for the NIH, including for increases in research funding so that more innovations can be developed, tested, and, where proven safe and effective, brought to the public.
“Research supported by the NIH is the foundation of medical advances that benefit every individual in the country,” says Tannaz Rasouli, MPH, AAMC senior director of government relations. “The United States is a global leader in research and innovation for a reason — our longstanding federal commitment to the NIH. For patients, families, and communities nationwide, we must ensure that we continue to strengthen that commitment.”