NIH Names New Leader To Oversee Research Grants

Cardiologist Michael S. Lauer has been named the National Institutes of Health’s new deputy director for extramural research, NIH Director Francis S. Collins announced last week. In his new position, Lauer will oversee the NIH’s outside research grants, which account for more than 80% of the agency’s $30 billion budget. Lauer currently leads the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI), where he has worked since 2007. There, he has made data analysis one of his key efforts, which includes examining the success of NHLBI’s peer review process. Lauer was recently named cochair of President Barack Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative, an effort to use data to study health outcomes. “He brings both research expertise and administrative skills to the job, as well as keen insights into the world of extramural research,” Collins says. Lauer replaces Sally Rockey, who left NIH to take over the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, a federally backed nonprofit. He will start his new job in the next few weeks.