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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
