Francis S. Collins MD, PhD an eminent geneticist and medical administrator will step down as the head of the NIH after tenure of twelve years.  He was appointed the 16th director of the NIH in 2009 and has served three presidents.  He currently administers an annual 2021 budget of $41.3billion.

Prior to his appointment as head of NIH, he led the National Human Genome Research Institute from 1993 to 2008 and was responsible for direction of the Human Genome Project that determined the sequence of human DNA in April 2003.  As director of the NIH he was involved in the response to the 2014-2015 limited Ebola outbreak and was a strong advocate for preventive measures against COVID supporting Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIH National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Collins is the author of The Language of God reflecting his sincere belief in religion that he has successfully integrated with science.  At the ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Human Genome Project he noted, “Today we are learning the language in which God created life and we are gaining awe from the complexity, the beauty and the wonder of God’s most divine and sacred gift.” 

Following his retirement before the end of the current year, he will return to his NIH laboratory to continue research on human genetics.