White House Taps Former Genome Chief Francis Collins as NIH Director

摘要

President Barack Obama's announcement last week that he had chosen Francis Collins to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH) did not come as a big surprise. But it ended months of speculation and ignited a volley of flattering remarks from researchers and biomedical groups. "Francis is one of the most accomplished scientists and scientific leaders of his generation.... Having worked with him for many years, I am sure that he will rise to the unique challenges of this job," said Elias Zerhouni, who resigned as NIH director last fall.rnCollins is known as a skilled administrator and excellent communicator. Over 15 years, he built a new center at NIH into one of the most visible and innovative institutes. When he stepped down as leader of the National Human Genome ResearchrnInstitute (NHGRI) last year, he was already considered a leading candidate to run NIH, the $30 billion parent agency.