Schwartz resigns from NIEHS

After a tumultuous three-year stint, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) director David Schwartz officially stepped down on Friday (Feb. 8). During his time as NIEHS director, Schwartz's leadership was often questioned. Scientists and lawmakers criticized Schwartz in 2005 when he pushed for privatizing the institute's journal, __Environmental Health Perspectives__, and last August more than 100 NIEHS researchers linkurl:voted no confidence;http://www.the-scientist.com/ne

| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share
After a tumultuous three-year stint, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) director David Schwartz officially stepped down on Friday (Feb. 8). During his time as NIEHS director, Schwartz's leadership was often questioned. Scientists and lawmakers criticized Schwartz in 2005 when he pushed for privatizing the institute's journal, __Environmental Health Perspectives__, and last August more than 100 NIEHS researchers linkurl:voted no confidence;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/53502/ in Schwartz to protest his management. Later in August, Schwartz took a temporary leave while NIH and NIEHS linkurl:reviewed his management and leadership.;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/53551/ That review is "still in process," according to NIH spokesperson Don Ralbovsky. Schwartz announced his resignation from NIEHS in an Email to the institute's staff. According to linkurl:__Science__,;http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/208/1 Schwartz wrote that "our community has not universally embraced the scientific direction or strategies that I have implemented" and that he had "inadvertently disenfranchised segments of our community." Schwartz has linkurl:signed on;http://www.nationaljewish.org/news/y2007/schwartz-hire.aspx as director of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado, where he'll also lead a genetics research center. Schwartz will remain at his NIEHS lab through May before starting in Denver, according to NIEHS spokesperson Christine Bruske Flowers. linkurl:Samuel Wilson,;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/53639/ who has been acting NIEHS director in Schwartz's absence, will remain in that role until a new permanent director is appointed, Bruske Flowers told __The Scientist__.
Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Bob Grant

    From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer.
Share
A greyscale image of cells dividing.
March 2025, Issue 1

How Do Embryos Know How Fast to Develop

In mammals, intracellular clocks begin to tick within days of fertilization.

View this Issue
Discover the history, mechanics, and potential of PCR.

Become a PCR Pro

Integra Logo
3D rendered cross section of influenza viruses, showing surface proteins on the outside and single stranded RNA inside the virus

Genetic Insights Break Infectious Pathogen Barriers

Thermo Fisher Logo
A photo of sample storage boxes in an ultra-low temperature freezer.

Navigating Cold Storage Solutions

PHCbi logo 
The Immunology of the Brain

The Immunology of the Brain

Products

Sapio Sciences

Sapio Sciences Makes AI-Native Drug Discovery Seamless with NVIDIA BioNeMo

DeNovix Logo

New DeNovix Helium Nano Volume Spectrophotometer

Olink Logo

Olink® Reveal: Accessible NGS-based proteomics for every lab

Olink logo
Zymo Logo

Zymo Research Launches the Quick-16S™ Full-Length Library Prep Kit