The good news is that the gap between what health scientists are studying and the actual worldwide disease burden has narrowed since 1999. That’s according to a new study from a global team of health policy researchers, including Georgia Tech’s Cassidy R. Sugimoto.

The bad news? The study shows the improvement was mostly accidental, and things are likely to start getting worse again — especially if the U.S. follows through on plans to cut global health research funding.

“Our current situation is going to lead to an increasing imbalance between the diseases burdening the world and the research that is produced,” said Sugimoto, the Tom and Marie Patton Chair in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy.

To read more about the paper, published Aug. 27, 2025, in Nature Medicine, read our full story.