November–December 2021 | NIH Intramural Research Program

Francis Collins To Step Down As NIH Director

Will Continue His Research at NHGRI

FROM OCTOBER 5, 2021, NIH NEWS RELEASE

On October 5, 2021 Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., announced his decision to end his tenure as the director of the National Institutes of Health by the end of the year. Collins is the longest serving presidentially appointed NIH director, having served three U.S. presidents over more than 12 years.

A Conversation with NIH Director Francis Collins

Reflecting on Accomplishments, Advice, Music, and More

INTERVIEW WITH STAFF FROM THE NIH CATALYST, NIH RECORD, AND “I AM INTRAMURAL” BLOG

Francis S. Collins, who is stepping down from his post as NIH director by the end of the year, spoke recently with staff from The NIH Catalyst, the NIH Record, and the “I am Intramural” Blog. Following is an edited version of his comments.

NIH’s Work With Native Communities Drives Diabetes Research

At the Confluence of Community and Clinic

BY MICHAEL TABASKO, OD

In Guadalupe, Arizona, a mix of Yaqui Indian and Hispanic families stepped off the sunbaked street and gathered in the annex building of a small NIH research clinic. It’s a space reserved for education where, for the past 10 years, clinical research participants have been collaborating with scientists. The families were eager to discuss the health issues, such as diabetes, that mattered most to them and wanted to know how biomedical research could be applied to help the community.

From the Deputy Director for Intramural Research

Saluting the Unseen NIH Heroes Among Us

BY MICHAEL GOTTESMAN

The NIH is a city unto itself. The Bethesda campus alone is home to more than 30,000 NIH citizens. So, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 and threatened our ability to conduct research, simply shutting down the NIH was not an option. As in New York, the famed city that never sleeps, hundreds of our colleagues sprang to work to ensure that the rest of us could perform our duties remotely and, if allowed, enter our workplace safely.

Charles Rotimi, Ph.D., Is NHGRI’s New Scientific Director

Genetic Epidemiologist and Genomics Researcher To Lead NHGRI’s Intramural Research Program

BY SARAH A. BATES, NHGRI

On October 10, 2021, Charles Rotimi became the new scientific director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, succeeding Dan Kastner, who had served as scientific director since October 10, 2010. Rotimi is a leading genetic epidemiologist and genomics researcher with expertise in statistical genetics, computational science, biochemistry, health disparities, and scientific management.

Outgoing NHGRI Scientific Director Dan Kastner, M.D. Ph.D.

Met Challenges and Helped NHGRI Researchers Succeed

BY ETHAN SMITH, NINR

“As scientific director, the most important accomplishment that you can have is for the people who work for you to succeed,” said Daniel Kastner, the outgoing scientific director for the National Human Genome Research Institute. “If they succeed, you succeed.” He’s proud that over the past decade, NHGRI has achieved a high level of scientific productivity, with a major impact on the field of genomics.

Announcements: Kudos

Four NIHers are among the 100 New Members of the National Academy of Medicine and five were recognized at the annual Sammies awards celebration.

Colleagues: Recently Tenured

Meet your recently tenured colleagues: Jill Barnholtz-Sloan (NCI-DCEG), Hyokyoung Grace Hong (NCI-DCEG, pictured), Dimitrios Kapogiannis (NIA), Peter W. Schuck (NIBIB), and Meredith Shiels (NCI-DCEG).

From the Annals of NIH History

NIH Volunteers During the 1960s Civil Rights Movement

Visiting Hospitals in the South to Certify Desegregation

BY GORDON MARGOLIN, OFFICE OF NIH HISTORY AND STETTEN MUSEUM

Five NIH scientists, all registered with the U.S. Public Health Service, volunteered in the mid-1960s (a turbulent period during the Civil Rights Movement) to travel to Southern states to see whether hospitals were complying with the Medicare Act and the requirement to desegregate.

Research Briefs

Read about NIH scientific advances and discoveries by intramural scientists: antibody drugs may improve Alzheimer’s symptoms; origins of lung cancer in never-smokers; drinking juice before age six months linked to sugary beverage drinking later; brain injury infection impedes blood-vessel repair; knowing protein structure helps HCV vaccine development; and blood test reveals when benign tumors turn cancerous in a common genetic disorder.

News You Can Use

The NIEHS Personalized Environment and Genes Study Focuses on Gene-Environment Interactions

BY KELLEY CHRISTENSEN, NIEHS

An NIEHS initiative called the Personalized Environment and Genes Study (PEGS) integrates genetic and environmental data to understand disease etiology, identify disease risk factors, and improve disease prevention.

COVID-19 Timeline at NIH (September–October 2021)

COVID-19 Research and Activities at NIH (September–October 2021)

Highlights of the COVID-19-related activities that were going on at NIH in September and October 2021.

The Training Page

FROM THE FELLOWS COMMITTEE

Are You on Twitter Yet?

BY ALISON JANE MARTINGANO, NHGRI

Twitter includes a thriving group of scientists who tweet about research and job openings and joke and commiserate about the quirks of scientific research. Twitter is particularly useful for early-career researchers who wish to promote their work and network with other scientists.

Photographic Moment

Skin-Muscle Interface

An award-winning image of a 3D color projection of the developing skin-muscle interface of an embryonic mouse forelimb.

Announcements

News about events, deadlines, lectures, and more.

This page was last updated on Monday, January 31, 2022