Collins prepares for budget battle

Francis Collins, the new director of the National Institutes of Health, said today (17th August) that making sure the NIH's newly-invigorated budget does not "drop off a cliff" once $10 billion in stimulus funding expires at the end of 2010 will be his top priority as he takes the reins of the biomedical research agency. "FY '11 battles are going to be tough," Collins said. "This is the [issue] that wakes me up in the middle of the night." After being officially sworn in as the NIH's 16th director this morning, Collins formally took the helm of the NIH before an enthusiastic crowd of NIH staffers gathered in a large auditorium at the agency's Bethesda, Maryland headquarters. "It's great to be home again," Collins said as he took the stage at the all-hands meeting. Collins was introduced by Raynard Kington, who has served as acting NIH director since last October and will now resume his role as deputy director under Collins. Collins recalled his career path since stepping down as head of the National Human Genome Research Institute in May of 2008 and joked about the vetting process he endured after President Barack Obama nominated him for the position last month. "No life is boring enough for the FBI," Collins said of the seemingly endless background checks and reviews he underwent before being unanimously confirmed by the Senate earlier this month. "I can't imagine a happier outcome than to be here before you today." The entire crowd -- from fresh-faced postdocs to grizzled veterans of the biomedical research fray -- rose to its feet as Collins ascended the rostrum amid a storm of applause. Ryo Kita, a young postbaccalaureate researcher, expressed excitement about Collins's appointment, a sentiment shared by much of the scientific community within and outside of the NIH. "It will be interesting to see in which direction he takes the NIH," said Kita, a recent Northwestern University graduate. Collins assured the crowd that his experience as an NIH researcher and institute head gave him an intimate understanding of the workings of the agency and a clear idea of how to advance its mission. Maintaining a healthy level of funding at the agency topped Collins's list of key challenges he faces as NIH director. He noted that work must begin now to ensure that the recent infusion of NIH stimulus money does not drop the agency into a funding free fall once that money dries up in 2011. Collins also outlined other areas of "special opportunity" upon which he would focus as NIH director. These included advancing research that makes use of high-throughput technologies -- genomics and computational biology, among others -- to explore the fundamental biology of diseases such as cancer and autism. He stressed the importance of asking and seeking to answer "questions that have 'all' in them" -- for example, "What are all the transcripts of a cell?" or "What are all of the genetic variations that play a role in the risk of a disease?" "Those kinds of questions are accessible now," Collins said. Other areas on which Collins said he intends to focus include translational research, using NIH resources and research to help inform the health care debate that currently grips the nation, placing a greater emphasis on global health research, and ensuring support and funding for young biomedical researchers. Collins also promised the assembled crowd that he will devote his "full energy" to leading the NIH, saying that he has ceased all outside activities, including book writing (he just finished a book on personalized medicine that will be published soon) and his leadership of the controversial BioLogos Foundation, the organization seeking to reconcile Christian faith with science (he founded the group, and recently resigned from his position as president). Collins did, however, mention that he would continue supervising his NIH lab, which includes a number of postdocs and graduate students, so that he can "remain grounded in the reality of science." The new NIH director mentioned that he had drafted a list of 22 goals he hopes to achieve in his first six months on the job, but after the chortling from the audience subsided, he declined to unveil them until he receives some preliminary feedback from advisors on how realistic they are. Overall, Collins stressed openness and community at the NIH, saying that aside from the multi-billion dollar budget and top-notch research facilities, it was NIH researchers that made the agency "the most amazing place to do biomedical research in the world." Several questions from the crowd centered on the NIH's role in the health care debate, and one questioner asked how the agency would steer clear of politicization if it is to wade into the fracas. "There is bipartisan support for the idea that data is good," said Collins, adding that the NIH could provide Congress with answers to key questions about the comparative effectiveness of different health care strategies. Likening NIH researchers to a troupe of musicians, Collins said that they all must work together to steer the agency in fruitful directions. "No one can whistle a symphony," Collis quipped. "The orchestra is assembled, the instruments appear to be in tune, the world is waiting. Let us begin."
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:Collins confirmed as NIH head;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55881/
[7th August 2009]*linkurl:Report: Collins to lead NIH;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55733/
[26th May 2009]*linkurl:Collins seen as boon to NIH;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55820/
[9th July 2009]

Collins prepares for budget battle

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