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December 16, 2021
Feature
A Farewell to Dr. Francis Collins
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is stepping down as NIH director on December 19, 2021, after more than 12 years at the helm. A physician-geneticist, Dr. Collins took office as the 16th NIH director on August 17, 2009, after being appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In 2017, he was asked to continue in his role by President Donald Trump, and in 2021, by President Joe Biden. The longest serving presidentially appointed NIH Director, Dr. Collins' impact on biomedical research and the health of the nation is difficult to overstate. From launching the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Technologies (BRAIN) Initiative to spearheading NIH’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Collins has steered the country’s largest medical research agency with a calm hand, a scientific mind, and a deep commitment to the well-being of all Americans.
“Millions of people will never know Dr. Collins saved their lives. Countless researchers will aspire to follow in his footsteps. And I will miss the counsel, expertise, and good humor of a brilliant mind and dear friend.”
— President Joe Biden
Video Tribute
More than 100 prominent figures from around the world created videos to pay tribute to Dr. Collins and wish him well as he transitions back to working in the lab at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and contemplates his next career steps. You also can watch individual videos using the Video Album directory.
Academia, Public Health, & Scientific Research
Cori Bargmann, Head of Science, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Jose Florez, Chief, Endocrine Division/Diabetes Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
Atul Gawande, Surgeon, Writer, and Public Health Leader
Helen Hobbs, Professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Shirley Ann Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Siddhartha Mukherjee, Physician, Journalist, Author
M. Roy Wilson, President, Wayne State University
Keith Yamamoto, Professor, Vice Chancellor, University of California, San Francisco
The Arts
Directors of NIH Institutes & Centers
Diana Bianchi, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Patricia Flatley Brennan, National Library of Medicine
Noni Byrnes, Center for Scientific Review
Michael Chiang, National Eye Institute
Lindsey Criswell, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Rena D'Souza, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Anthony Fauci, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Gary Gibbons, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
James Gilman, NIH Clinical Center
Roger Glass, Fogarty International Center
Joshua Gordon, National Institute of Mental Health
Eric Green, National Human Genome Research Institute
Richard Hodes, National Institute on Aging
George Koob, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Walter Koroshetz, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Helene Langevin, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Jon Lorsch, National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Andrea Norris, Center for Information Technology
Eliseo Pérez-Stable, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Griffin Rodgers, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Joni Rutter, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Ned Sharpless, National Cancer Institute
Bruce Tromberg, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Debara Tucci, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Nora Volkow, National Institute on Drug Abuse
Rick Woychik, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Media
Henry Louis Gates Jr., Historian, Television Host, Professor
NIH Staff — Current
Patrice Allen-Gifford, NIH Executive Secretariat
James Anderson, NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Janine Austin Clayton, Director, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health
Rebecca Baker, Director, NIH HEAL Initiative
Julie Broussard Berko, NIH Chief People Officer
Marie Bernard, NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity
John Burklow, Acting NIH Chief of Staff
Brittany Chao, Scientific Special Assistant to the NIH Principal Deputy Director
Joshua Denny, Chief Executive Officer, All of Us Research Program
Stephanie Devaney, Chief Operating Officer, All of Us Research Program
Diane Frasier, Director, NIH Office of Acquisition and Logistics Management
John Gallin, Scientific Director, NIH Clinical Center
Matthew Gillman, Director, NIH ECHO Program
Michael Gottesman, NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research
Darla Hayes, Associate Director for Management, NIH Office of the Director
Alfred Johnson, NIH Deputy Director for Management
Lyric Jorgenson, Acting Director, NIH Office of Science Policy
Mike Lauer, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research
Colleen McGowan, Director, NIH Office of Research Services
Sharon Milgram, Director, NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education
David Murray, Director, NIH Office of Disease Prevention
Renate Myles, Acting Director, Office of Communications and Public Liaison
Ashley Parker, NIH Health Science Policy Analyst
William Riley, Director, NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
NIH Staff — Former
Chris Austin, Former Director, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Kizzmekia Corbett, Former Coronavirus Team Lead, NIH Vaccine Research Center
Eric Dishman, Former Director, All of Us Research Program
Story Landis, Former Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Roderic Pettigrew, Former Director, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Hannah Valantine, Former NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity
Harold Varmus, Former Director, National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute
Elias Zerhouni, Former Director, National Institutes of Health
Nonprofit & Advocacy
Scott Berns and Audrey and Leslie Gordon, Progeria Research Foundation
Victor Dzau, President, National Academy of Medicine
Maria Freire, Former President and Executive Director, Foundation for the NIH
Jane Goodall, Primatologist, Anthropologist and Founder, The Jane Goodall Institute
Jeri Lacks-Whye, Granddaughter of Henrietta Lacks
Jennifer Lucca, Chief Executive Officer, The Children’s Inn
Jed Manocherian, Founder and Chairman, ACT for NIH
Marcia McNutt, President, National Academy of Sciences
Michael Milken, Chairman, Milken Institute
Patricia Morris, President, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Sudip Parikh, Chief Executive Officer, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Ellen Sigal, Founder and Chairperson, Friends of Cancer Research
David Skorton, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of American Medical Colleges
KC White, Trustee, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
David Wholley, Interim President and Executive Director, Foundation for the NIH
Private-Sector
Mikael Dolsten, Chief Scientific Officer and President, Worldwide Research Development, Pfizer, Inc.
Freda Lewis-Hall, Former Chief Medical Officer, Pfizer, Inc.
Spiritual Leaders
Spouse
U.S. Government Officials — Current
Xavier Becerra, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Roy Blunt, U.S. Senator (R-MO)
Tom Cole, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (R-OK)
Rosa DeLauro, Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives (D-CT)
Debbie Dingell, Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives (D-MI)
Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General
Andrea Palm, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Rochelle Walensky, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Janet Woodcock, Acting Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration
U.S. Government Officials — Former
Jerome Adams, Former U.S. Surgeon General
Lamar Alexander, Former U.S. Senator (R-TN)
Alex Azar, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Sylvia M. Burwell, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Mitch Daniels, Former Governor (R-IN)
Michael Leavitt, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Nita Lowey, Former U.S. Representative (D-NY)
Kathleen Sebelius, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Donna Shalala, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Tommy Thompson, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Presidents & Vice Presidents
This page last reviewed on December 6, 2022