NIH director announces resignation

Francis Collins, 71, has led the National Institutes of Health for 12 years, longer than any previous director. On Tuesday, he announced he will be stepping down from his position by the end of the year. Collins said in a statement he does not believe any person should hold the position for too long and that the NIH is in a stable place for a new director. The president will appoint a new director of the world’s largest biomedical agency, and the U.S. Senate must confirm him or her.

What is Collins’ legacy as director? He has advocated publicly for COVID-19 preventive practices such as masking and vaccines. Long before the pandemic, though, he led the growth of the agency and helped discover genetic mutations involved in cystic fibrosis. Under his leadership, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases partnered with Moderna to create a COVID-19 vaccine in record time. He professes faith in Jesus Christ and also in evolution as God’s means of creating the world. In his book The Language of God, he wrote that the first few chapters of Genesis have more of a “lyrical and allegorical” flavor than a historical one.

Dig deeper: From the archives, read Elizabeth Handford’s essay on the organization Collins founded, BioLogos, and his stance in the evolution debate.