Schwartz Leaves NIEHS

David A. Schwartz, the embattled director of NIH's National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), has jumped ship to the National Jewish Medical & Research Center (NJMRC), in Denver. "I believe that our institute would be more successful with new leadership and that I would have a greater impact in environmental health by working as a physician-scientist," Schwartz said in a Feb. 8 e-mail announcing his resignation to the NIEHS staff. The institute is located in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Schwartz had temporarily stepped down from his post as the head of NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program in August 2007 amid probes into his management of the agency and ethics issues by Congress and the Department of Health & Human Services (C&EN, Sept. 3, 2007, page 9). Schwartz remains under investigation for possible violations of ethics rules, conflict-of-interest guidelines, and federal spending limits. Sources on Capitol Hill and at NIH tell C&EN that results of the investigation into Schwartz are expected sometime in March.