Varmus to lead NCI?

The rumor mill surrounding Nobel Laureate linkurl:Harold Varmus;http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/515.cfm is cranking up again, enlivened by a recent linkurl:report;http://cancerletter.com/tcl-blog/copy130_of_whats-going-on-with-nih in __The Cancer Letter__ that the biologist will be tapped by the White House to lead the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Image: Public Library of Science"Multiple sources in the federal government and outside it confirmed that the announcement appears imminent," the

Written byBob Grant
| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share
The rumor mill surrounding Nobel Laureate linkurl:Harold Varmus;http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/515.cfm is cranking up again, enlivened by a recent linkurl:report;http://cancerletter.com/tcl-blog/copy130_of_whats-going-on-with-nih in __The Cancer Letter__ that the biologist will be tapped by the White House to lead the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Image: Public Library of Science
"Multiple sources in the federal government and outside it confirmed that the announcement appears imminent," the story in the newsletter read, adding that Varmus is expected to be named the NCI's new director later this week or early next week. Varmus, who was director of the National Institutes of Health from 1993-1999, is preparing to step down from his position as president of New York City's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as soon as the institution finds a successor. Varmus has played an active role in U.S. President Barack Obama's administration thus far, serving as co-chair of the Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the president's inner circle of science experts. If Varmus is indeed picked to head the NCI, he would be both the first Nobel Prize winner and the first former-NIH director to get the job. Rumors began circulating last week that Varmus may be the Obama administration's pick for the next NCI director. Varmus sought to quiet those rumors linkurl:in an email;http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/03/varmus-dispels-cancer-institute.html to the __Science__Insider. "I have no idea where you are getting such rumors but I can tell you that no one from the only reputable source, the White House, has contacted me!" Varmus wrote. "However, I've just renewed my R01 [NIH research grant] and am purchasing a new apartment on the West Side. Draw your own conclusions!" In response to a call requesting comment from Varmus, Kathy Lewis, Sloan-Kettering's vice president of public affairs, said that he is not responding to rumors at the moment.
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:Varmus to quit as Sloan-Kettering head;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/56268/
[12th January 2010]*linkurl:Varmus, Lubchenco top Obama team;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55317/
[22nd December 2008]*linkurl:Varmus votes - how will you?;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/54278/
[4th February 2008]
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

  • From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer. Before joining the team, he worked as a reporter at Audubon and earned a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. In his previous life, he pursued a career in science, getting a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Montana State University and a master’s degree in marine biology from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Bob edited Reading Frames and other sections of the magazine.

    View Full Profile
Share
Image of a woman with her hands across her stomach. She has a look of discomfort on her face. There is a blown up image of her stomach next to her and it has colorful butterflies and gut bacteria all swarming within the gut.
November 2025, Issue 1

Why Do We Feel Butterflies in the Stomach?

These fluttering sensations are the brain’s reaction to certain emotions, which can be amplified or soothed by the gut’s own “bugs".

View this Issue
Olga Anczukow and Ryan Englander discuss how transcriptome splicing affects immune system function in lung cancer.

Long-Read RNA Sequencing Reveals a Regulatory Role for Splicing in Immunotherapy Responses

Pacific Biosciences logo
Research Roundtable: The Evolving World of Spatial Biology

Research Roundtable: The Evolving World of Spatial Biology

Conceptual cartoon image of gene editing technology

Exploring the State of the Art in Gene Editing Techniques

Bio-Rad
Conceptual image of a doctor holding a brain puzzle, representing Alzheimer's disease diagnosis.

Simplifying Early Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis with Blood Testing

fujirebio logo

Products

Labvantage Logo

LabVantage Solutions Awarded $22.3 Million U.S Customs and Border Protection Contract to Deliver Next-Generation Forensic LIMS

The Scientist Placeholder Image

Evosep Unveils Open Innovation Initiative to Expand Standardization in Proteomics

OGT logo

OGT expands MRD detection capabilities with new SureSeq Myeloid MRD Plus NGS Panel