Norka Ruiz Bravo, who is currently associate director for extramural activities at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), is expected to be named the new National Institutes of Health (NIH) deputy director for extramural research. In the position, she will oversee the agency's $17 billion extramural research program, the largest component of NIH's $27 billion budget for fiscal year 2003.

NIH and research community sources told The Scientist that Ruiz Bravo's appointment is awaiting final approval "downtown" at the Department of Health and Human Services. The announcement could be at made any time, several sources said, pending any last-minute glitches.

"All the paperwork has been submitted," said a knowledgeable NIH source. "We're expecting the approval any day now."

On Monday (October 20), Ruiz Bravo declined to comment on the matter, but NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni discussed her pending appointment during a meeting of the Council of...

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