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Tags: nih | francis collins | covid-19 | pandemic | leadership | retirement

Report: NIH Director Job Candidates Backing Out

By    |   Monday, 13 March 2023 06:26 PM EDT

The National Institutes of Health is struggling to find a replacement for Dr. Francis Collins, who retired as director in 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

According to the report, two "qualified" candidates for the job walked away after finding out they would likely take a cut in pay and face a series of attacks after the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing Congressional hearings regarding the origin of the virus.

"While this position is one of the most important in the global scientific field, with all of the legal, political and financial hurdles, recruitment will remain challenging," Ellen Sigal, chair of Friends of Cancer Research, a nonprofit that works with NIH to speed cures, told the Wall Street Journal.

Collins announced his retirement in October 2021 after serving for 12 years and three presidents.

"It has been an incredible privilege to lead this great agency for more than a decade," Collins said at the time. "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. I'm most grateful and proud of the NIH staff and the scientific community, whose extraordinary commitment to lifesaving research delivers hope to the American people and the world every day."

According to the Wall Street Journal, the agency, based in Bethesda, Maryland, has more than 18,000 employees and manages a $47.5 billion annual budget.

Sources told the publication that one candidate who backed out was Duke University School of Medicine Dean Dr. Mary Klotman, who once worked in a NIH lab, because the process took so long, and the Senate must confirm the appointment.

Another apparent obstacle in finding a permanent replacement is the annual salary of about $200,000, less than many of the qualifying applicants could receive in other high-ranking positions in the healthcare industry, the report said.

NIH Administrator Lawrence Tabak has been fulfilling the position's obligations as acting director, according to the Journal.

The White House declined to comment of the Journal's report.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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The National Institutes of Health is struggling to find a replacement for Dr. Francis Collins, who retired as director in 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
nih, francis collins, covid-19, pandemic, leadership, retirement
381
2023-26-13
Monday, 13 March 2023 06:26 PM
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