NIH selects Dr. Michael Chiang as director of the National Eye Institute

Friday, July 24, 2020

National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., has chosen Michael F. Chiang, M.D., as director of NIH’s National Eye Institute (NEI). A practicing ophthalmologist, Dr. Chiang is currently the Knowles Professor of Ophthalmology & Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, and is associate director of the OHSU Casey Eye Institute. He is expected to begin his new role as the NEI director in late 2020. NEI conducts and supports research and training into blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, preservation of sight and the special health problems and requirements of the visually impaired.

“Dr. Chiang brings extensive experience as a clinician, researcher and educator to NIH. His work in biomedical informatics and telehealth research are particularly important for the future of vision research,” said Dr. Collins. “I look forward to having him join the NIH leadership team later this year. I also want to recognize Santa J. Tumminia, Ph.D., for her dedicated leadership in serving as the acting director of NEI since October 2019.”

As director, Dr. Chiang will oversee NEI’s annual budget of nearly $824 million, the large majority of which supports vision research through approximately 1,600 research grants and training awards made to scientists at more than 250 medical centers, universities and other institutions across the country and around the world. NEI research leads to sight-saving treatments, reduces visual impairment and blindness and improves the quality of life for people of all ages. The institute also conducts laboratory and patient-oriented research at its own facilities on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.