Q&A: Hail to the chief (of staff)

At the beginning of September, the new director of the National Institutes of Health, linkurl:Francis Collins,;http://www.nih.gov/about/director/index.htm welcomed a friend and colleague back into the NIH fold. He named linkurl:Kathy Hudson;http://www.bioethicsinstitute.org/mshome/?ID=89 -- who had been simultaneously wearing the hats of bioethicist, geneticist and public policy guru at Johns Hopkins University -- his new chief of staff, a position that's never before formally existed at NIH. Hudson, who worked with Collins in the heyday of the National Human Genetics Research Institute and had been at her new job for only six very busy days, took some time to talk with __The Scientist__ last week about what she'll be doing at the NIH, how she imagines the future of the agency, and about the curious things Collins keeps in his pocket.

Image courtesy of the Johns Hopkins
Genetics and Public Policy Center

**__The Scientist__**: The National Institutes of Health hasn't ever had an official Chief of Staff. Why is it necessary now? **__Kathy Hudson__**: Many of the roles that I will be filling are roles that have existed in the past. It shouldn't be at all surprising that the chief executive of an agency of this size and complexity would need a chief of staff. **__TS__**: What will be your duties as chief of staff? **__KH__**: My roles will include helping Francis [Collins] in identifying and implementing new scientific initiatives. It's also early days here, so now we're going to put meat on the bones. A lot of what I've been doing in these early days has involved trying to understand how different parts of the agency work. There've been meetings about how the ARRA [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which granted the NIH more than $10 billion] funds are being spent. This month is a particularly critical month in terms of ARRA spending at NIH. Five billion dollars are going out the door this month. **__TS__**: Some people have expressed concern about the deluge of applications (more than 20,000) submitted for Challenge Grants to be funded under ARRA. How is the review process going? **__KH__**: Those have all been reviewed and are ready to be awarded. I think we're doing this all in an exceptional way. NIH has really stepped up to the bat and is spending that money efficiently and wisely. **__TS__**: Have there been any concrete plans drawn up to address the ARRA funding drying up at the end of next year? **__KH__**: The discussions are certainly ongoing. I don't know that we've yet reached a concrete plan. **__TS__**: So you'll essentially be acting as Dr. Collins' right hand? You have his ear at all times? **__KH__**: I do, which is a blessing and a curse, because it means that he has my ear at all times as well. I spend a great deal of time with him. **__TS__**: Have you seen the pocket list (a catalog of specific goals for the NIH which Collins referred to, but did not elaborate on, during his first day as NIH director)? **__KH__**: I have seen the pocket list. Part of my job is to make sure that the things on the pocket list aren't forgotten. **__TS__**: Some have expressed concerns that Dr. Collins is too focused on genetics and genomics. What is your response to people who say that this focus might detract from other important areas of research at the agency? **__KH**__: I think it is an expected concern. And I think that Francis has tried to be reassuring. When I started, I wanted to be hyper-vigilant to not have any favoritism towards genetics, genomics, etc. I really don't feel like it's been a problem. **__TS__**: How do you plan on improving or changing the relationship the NIH has with Congress? **__KH__**: The NIH right now has a vacancy [for the position of associate director of legislative policy and analysis]. I'm on that search committee. I think we'll be looking very carefully for an exceptional individual to come into that position, someone who can bring some activism into that position. We have a lot to tell Congress about what we do here at NIH. I'm looking forward to getting that position filled and working closely with that person. **__TS__**: Do you agree with Dr. Collins' linkurl:five areas of "special opportunity";http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55891/ that he voiced on his first day as NIH director? **__KH__**: What I like about the themes is that they are bold and ambitious and challenge us and the scientific community and the institutes to sort of be visionary, innovative and risk-taking. I think it's very clear from his five themes that he understands the needs for translational research and he understands the key challenges to science and medicine across the entire spectrum. **__TS__**: You've worked closely with Dr. Collins in the past. For some time you've been at Johns Hopkins, racking up several accomplishments in your time there. What made you decide to come back to NIH? **__KH__**: I was outside the government trying to provide advice -- in a polite tone of voice and sometimes by pounding my fist -- on how to shape science policy. I've gone from speaking to the government from the outside to being on the inside of the government. So it's a very different role. I don't know that I would have come back to work at NIH or to work for anyone else other than Francis. We worked really well together at Genome [the National Human Genome Research Institute].
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:Collins prepares for budget battle;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55891/
[17th August 2009]*linkurl:The DNA behind DNA;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/53415/
[August 2007]*linkurl:Policy questions and some answers;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/21262/
[15th April 2003]