NIH director Francis Collins to step down

After more than 12 years leading the US National Institutes of Health under three presidents, Francis Collins, 71, plans to step down as director by the end of the year, the NIH announced Oct. 5.

A champion for biomedical research funding, Collins successfully advocated for Congress to boost the NIH’s budget from about $30 billion when he was appointed director in 2009 to more than $41 billion in fiscal year 2021. The money supported efforts to tackle major health issues including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, opioid abuse, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am proud of all we’ve accomplished. I fundamentally believe, however, that no single person should serve in the position too long, and that it’s time to bring in a new scientist to lead the NIH into the future,” Collins says in a statement.

Early in his tenure as director, Collins took on two controversial challenges facing the biomedical workforce—the lack of diversity and the scarcity of jobs for new PhD scientists. In more recent years, he revamped policies to address sexual harassment, promote racial equity, and enhance data sharing.

Collins also pushed the envelope for more high-risk, high-reward research, providing a foundation for the recently-proposed Advanced Research Project Agency for Health (ARPA-H). If supported by lawmakers, ARPA-H will aim to break down barriers to transformative biomedical research that deviates from typical NIH-funded research, in order to better detect and treat diseases like diabetes and cancer.

Well-known for his work leading the international Human Genome Project, Collins served as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) from 1993 to 2008. After leaving the director’s chair, he will continue to run his genomics laboratory at NHGRI, focusing on the prevention of type 2 diabetes and treatments for a premature aging disorder.

Research and policy advocacy groups praise the work Collins has done throughout his nearly 30 years at the NIH. “His career is nothing short of legendary,” Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, says in a statement. His “relentless pursuit of genomic research to halt or reverse some of the world’s most devastating diseases and illnesses are things for which all of us should forever be grateful,” McPherson adds.

But not everyone is a fan of Collins. Animal rights groups have long criticized him for supporting animal experiments. Earlier this year, the advocacy group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals urged Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the NIH, to fire Collins. The group also protested in front of Collins’s home. PETA says they are hoping President Joe Biden will find a new NIH director who will focus on “prioritizing human-relevant, animal-free research.”