Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, is stepping down after 12 years of service.
The Obama appointee said on Tuesday he is resigning to allow “a new scientist to lead the NIH into the future.” Following his departure from NIH at the end of the year, Francis, the 16th and longest-serving director of the agency, will return to research at the National Human Genome Research Institute.
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“It has been an incredible privilege to lead this great agency for more than a decade,” Collins said in a statement. “I love this agency and its people so deeply that the decision to step down was a difficult one, done in close counsel with my wife, Diane Baker, and my family. 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 played a key part in the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, largely remaining in the background as Anthony Fauci rose to prominence on the White House coronavirus task force in 2020. Collins advocated for vaccine mandates during his tenure, a contentious issue in the United States.
Before becoming NIH director in 2009, Collins served as the head of the NHGRI from 1993 to 2008, overseeing the first sequencing of the human genome in 2003. Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden asked Collins to continue as NIH director during their tenures.
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“I was grateful he answered the call to serve even though it was asking him to stay on the job longer than anyone in NIH history,” Biden said in a statement. “Today, I understand his decision to step down from his post at the end of this year after an incredible and consequential tenure.”
Under Collins, the NIH secured 38% more funding with bipartisan congressional support, and he oversaw several innovative projects, such as the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative and the Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative, the agency said.
