My KY childhood led me to a career in research. Now that’s under attack | Opinion

Since high school in Kentucky, I dreamed of building a career that would help me understand how people develop addiction and how to treat this common and devastating disorder. Last year, that dream became a reality. After more than a decade of intensive coursework, clinical training, and research, I earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Now, as a research psychologist at a psychiatric teaching hospital, my work focuses on personalizing treatments for substance use and addiction, ensuring people receive the therapy or medication most likely to help them based on their unique needs. I also provide therapy to individuals seeking support for substance use, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Being a researcher and therapist defines much of who I am, but I couldn’t have become either without first being a Kentuckian.

Growing up in Kentucky during the onset of the opioid epidemic—and seeing classmates and friends suffer—sparked my interest in a career helping people with addiction. Simultaneously, my education at Scott County High School nurtured my love of reading, writing, statistics, and scientific inquiry. I combined my interests in addiction and academics at the University of Kentucky, where I majored in psychology. There, I had the opportunity to work on research projects developing medication treatments for addiction, understanding the causes of fetal alcohol syndrome, and identifying risk factors for initiating substance use in adolescence.

One of the most meaningful parts of this time was sharing what I had learned about substance use with friends and family who were eager to understand the challenges increasingly affecting our community. These experiences shaped my goal of becoming a research psychologist, so I could share empowering information about substance use and help generate new knowledge through the scientific process.

My recent reflections on the contexts that shaped my interests and skillset are inspired, in part, by finishing my degree and beginning my first post-graduate job. But more notably, I have been compelled to reflect on why this work is so important to me in the face of growing threats to the broader scientific and mental health services community.

The institutions that have made my dreams possible are under attack. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), which has funded the projects I’ve worked on since I was an undergraduate student, is facing the possibility of a 40% budget reduction. NIH has also attempted to impose an extreme cap—currently blocked by the courts—on administrative support built into grant funding that covers rent for scientific facilities, expensive shared equipment like brain imaging technology, and the salaries of administrative staff.

This administration has declared war on higher education, most notably Harvard University, under the guise of addressing antisemitism, viewpoint diversity, and admissions practices. Rather than pursuing targeted or constructive reforms, it has taken sweeping and punitive actions, including canceling billions for medical research funding.

These measures will not meaningfully address the real challenges facing higher education, but they will harm scientists, patients, students, staff, and countless Americans who benefit from biomedical innovations. Beyond threats to the scientific and educational infrastructure, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has been significantly downsized, with proposals to shutter this critical institution. SAMHSA provides information on substance use and mental health, offers tools for accessing care, and funds prevention and treatment services nationwide.

In the face of this uncertainty, I cycle through many emotions on a near-hourly basis: shock, outrage, fear, helplessness, determination, and hope. Alongside these reactions, I keep returning to the roots of my professional journey in Kentucky. The struggles of my family, friends, and classmates inspired me, and the skills I use every day were first cultivated in Kentucky classrooms. Remembering these early experiences strengthens my resolve to fight for people suffering from addiction, scientific research, and education.

Kentucky native Victoria Votaw PhD is a clinician investigator in the Division of Alcohol, Drugs, and Addiction at Harvard Medical School. The views expressed are her own and do not reflect her employer. If you’re interested in standing up for scientific research, visit: https://www.standupforscience.net/take-action