Dr. Carolyn M. Hutter selected as Director of the NIH Office of Strategic Coordination

I am pleased to announce the selection of Carolyn M. Hutter, Ph.D., as Director of the NIH Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC), part of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in the NIH Office of the Director (OD). OSC plans, manages and oversees activities funded by the NIH Common Fund, with a budget of nearly $700 million that supports bold scientific programs that catalyze discovery across all biomedical and behavioral research. These programs create a space where investigators and multiple NIH Institutes and Centers collaborate on innovative research expected to address high priority challenges for the NIH as a whole and make a broader impact in the scientific community.

Dr. Hutter brings more than 20 years of experience in genetics and epidemiology as well as managing large research collaborations. She is currently the Director of the Division of Genome Sciences at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). In this role, Dr. Hutter leads NHGRI's efforts in basic genomics research funding and program management. From her leadership position at NHGRI, Dr. Hutter has gained extensive experience with all stages of Common Fund programs. She has worked with leadership across the agency to shape the initial concept and funding opportunities for several Common Fund programs and also has been involved in the renewal or transition of Common Fund programs.

She received a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics-biology from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; a master’s degree in genetics from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; a master’s degree in biostatistics and a doctorate degree in epidemiology from the University of Washington, Seattle. Dr. Hutter began her career at NIH as a program director in the Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program at the National Cancer Institute and in the Division of Genomic Medicine at NHGRI. She has held leadership roles in several large-scale consortia, specifically The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), NHGRI Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research Program and the early stages of the All of Us Research Program.

Prior to joining NIH, she led and conducted laboratory, computational and epidemiologic research in population genetics, genetic association analysis and cancer prevention. As a senior staff scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Dr. Hutter helped establish the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO). GECCO is a collaborative effort, involving researchers from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, formed with the knowledge that large sample sizes and rigorous methodological approaches are essential for identifying genetic and environmental factors associated with colorectal cancer.

Dr. Hutter has co-authored more than 150 publications, including consortium publications, and received numerous honors, including multiple NIH Director’s Awards and the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America People’s Choice Medal group award in recognition of contributions to the TCGA effort.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Hutter. I also want to thank Douglas M. Sheeley, Sc.D., who has been serving as OSC Acting Director since the January 2023 retirement of Elizabeth L. Wilder, Ph.D.

Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D.
Director, NIH