Observers See Healy Tenure At NIH Helm In Jeopardy If Clinton Is Elected President

Officials, scientists, and others agree that her close ties to Bush policies could cost the agency director her job More than ever before, the future direction and leadership of the National Institutes of Health will hinge on the outcome of a United States presidential election. There is strong feeling among many key congressional staffers and other Washington observers that NIH director Bernadine Healy, because she appears to be inextricably linked to the Bush administration and its policies,

Scott Veggeberg

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Officials, scientists, and others agree that her close ties to Bush policies could cost the agency director her job

More than ever before, the future direction and leadership of the National Institutes of Health will hinge on the outcome of a United States presidential election. There is strong feeling among many key congressional staffers and other Washington observers that NIH director Bernadine Healy, because she appears to be inextricably linked to the Bush administration and its policies, will be removed if Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton is elected.

Although early in her tenure, Healy was widely thought of as someone who would have remained at the agency's helm no matter who might be elected in the fall of 1992, times have changed.

Congressional aides, who are generally constrained from making attributed comments, were able to speak off the record for this article. According to one well-placed aide, Healy "had a halo" ...

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