By Jill Daniel, PhD
Dr. Jill Daniel is the Gary P. Dohanich Professor of Brain Science and Professor of Psychology at Tulane University and was the Founding Director of the Tulane Brain Institute. She earned her PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience at Tulane and completed postdoctoral training in Pharmacology at LSU Health Sciences Center. Her research, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the National Institute on Aging, examines how estrogens influence brain function and cognition across the lifespan, with a focus on hormonal effects on brain aging. She currently serves as Project Director on the NIH-funded Program Project Grant Estrogens, Cardiometabolic Health, and Female Cognitive Aging.
Read Daniel’s explanation on the impact of potential NIH funding cuts:
At the Tulane Brain Institute, our vision is to drive groundbreaking discoveries in neuroscience while cultivating the next generation of researchers and engaging with the broader community. As a transdisciplinary center, we bring together experts from across Tulane’s uptown campus, downtown campus and the Tulane National Primate Research Center to collaborate on critical brain science questions. We invest in research communities built around emerging strengths, creating hubs of excellence that push the boundaries of neuroscience and ensure our faculty, postdocs and students have the resources to drive transformative breakthroughs.
Equally important to our mission is the integration of education, training and community engagement. Our nationally recognized Neuroscience Program provides hands-on research opportunities for students at all levels, from undergraduates to PhD candidates, ensuring that the next generation of scientists is fully engaged in cutting-edge work. We extend our impact beyond the lab by bringing brain science to the community through outreach initiatives like the New Orleans Books & Brains Initiative, the Tulane Science Scholars Program and the Tulane Stroke Survivors Support Group. The Tulane Brain Institute is committed to a future where neuroscience research not only advances scientific understanding but also directly improves lives—an ambition that fuels our research in every project we undertake.
The importance of this research cannot be overstated. For years, laboratory studies have demonstrated that estrogen can protect against age-related cognitive decline, potentially even reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Yet, in real-world applications, estrogen therapy doesn’t always deliver these benefits, particularly for women with conditions like hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. Thanks to a $14 million grant from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging in 2022, our team at the Tulane Brain Institute has finally been able to explore why. This funding has enabled us to embark on a comprehensive five-year, integrative investigation into how estrogen interacts with metabolic and cardiovascular health, an essential step toward developing personalized treatments for cognitive aging in women.
Federal funding cuts to NIH support would have a devastating impact on scientific discovery at Tulane. The proposed reduction in indirect research cost coverage—from Tulane’s current 53% down to 15%—would create a massive funding gap, jeopardizing critical research initiatives. Tulane relies on approximately $130 million in NIH support annually as the leading NIH-funded institution in Louisiana. Cuts of this magnitude would not just slow progress; they could bring critical research to a standstill, delaying life-changing medical breakthroughs important to communities across Louisiana and the world.
“Reduced funding would limit our ability to conduct cutting-edge research, weakening our role as a leader in neuroscience. The loss of critical resources would stifle discoveries that drive medical breakthroughs, ultimately affecting public health and the future of neuroscience, medicine and beyond.”
These NIH cuts would reverberate across every aspect of our mission, from scientific innovation to education and community outreach. At a time when advancing brain science is more crucial than ever, these funding reductions don’t just threaten institutions like Tulane; they jeopardize discoveries that could transform lives, leaving patients and families without the answers and treatments they desperately need.
