Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health, was interviewed this week on EarthSky, a science radio show. Collins spoke about his priorities for NIH and the importance of NIH funding to biomedical research in the U.S. His full interview is available below.
Posts Tagged ‘Francis Collins’
NIH Director Interviewed on EarthSky
Thursday, February 4th, 2010Science Magazine: Opportunities for Research and NIH
Thursday, December 31st, 2009Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health, wrote a column for Science Magazine’s January 1, 2010 issue summarizing five areas of opportunity for NIH that are “ripe for major advances,” including high-throughput technologies, translational medicine, benefiting health care reform, focusing more on global health and reinvigorating and empowering the biomedical research community. The article reemphasizes the five themes that Collins prioritized when he was sworn in as director in August 2009.
The entire article is available online to subscribers.
NIH Director Francis Collins to Address National Press Club
Friday, December 18th, 2009Francis Collins, MD, PhD, Director of the National Institutes of Health, will speak at a luncheon at the National Press Club on Monday on “Biomedical Research: New Horizons for Human Health.” The lunch will begin at 12:30 pm.
More information and registration on the Press Club’s Web site.
UPDATE: Dr. Collins’ talk has been postponed due to weather and will be rescheduled.
Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Welcomes Francis Collins
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009Last night, the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Constituency Group and United for Medical Research welcomed new National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, at a reception on Capitol Hill. Louis Sullivan, MD, former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, was the master of ceremonies. Research!America was a partner of the event.
The New York Times: For NIH Chief, Issues of Identity and Culture
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009In today’s Science Times, Gardiner Harris speaks with Francis Collins, MD, PhD, about his new role as director of the National Institutes of Health. The article discusses the support Collins has found among scientists at the agency and his enthusiasm for the current possibilities in research to improve health.
Like his recent predecessors, Dr. Collins promises breathtaking discoveries if the budget is increased and warns darkly that even a flat budget could lead to disaster. “The opportunities have almost never been as exciting,” he said, “and the perils have never been as high.”… “We have to make the case for what biomedical research has to offer the public,” he added.
Collins also mentioned his performance with Aerosmith’s Joe Perry at the Rock Stars of Science briefing earlier this month. Continue reading the article here.
Video: Joe Perry with NIH Director and Harvard Scientist
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009Scientists, Joe Perry Rock Capitol Hill
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Aerosmith co-founder Joe Perry performed onstage with NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, and Harvard’s Rudy Tanzi, PhD, at a Capitol Hill event today celebrating scientists.
Sponsored by the Geoffrey Beene Foundation, Research!America, Wyeth, Elan, GQ and the Alzheimer’s Association, the Rock Stars of Science briefing also included ABC News’ Terry Moran as moderator of panels about Alzheimer’s disease and cancer research and conversations with members of Congress, including the co-chairs of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, Rep. Edward Markey (MA), Rep. Chris Smith (NJ) and Sen. Mark Warner (VA).
George Vradenburg, chairman of the Geoffrey Beene Gives Back® Alzheimer’s Initiative and founding member of LEAD-Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease, and Robert Egge, vice president of public policy and advocacy for the Alzheimer’s Association, talked about the goal of stopping Alzheimer’s by 2020. Alysia Snell of Lake Research Partners presented new public opinion poll findings about the awareness and attitudes about Alzheimer’s disease.
Research!America President Mary Woolley talked about the hope research provides and the Research!America public opinion poll finding that inspired the Rock Stars of Science campaign: most Americans can’t name a living scientist.
Rep. Brian Bilbray (CA), Rep. Mike Castle (DE) and Rep. Rush Holt (NJ), co-chairs of the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus, spoke about research as part of the health care reform debate and competition for research resources among diseases.
NIH Director Collins also spoke about his vision for the institutes, and Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke about today’s release of the promising research into an HIV/AIDS vaccine.
In addition to their performance, Perry and Tanzi also talked with Dale Schenk, PhD; Moran and Meryl Comer, executive producer of the Rock Stars of Science campaign, about the similarities between making music and conducting research.
Laura Ziskin, filmmaker and founder of Stand Up To Cancer; Laura Shawver, PhD, CEO of Phenomix Corporation and member of the Stand Up to Cancer Scientific Advisory Committee; Amy Dockser Marcus, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at the Wall Street Journal; and singer and actor Delta Goodrem spoke with Moran about making strides in cancer research and their personal stories of cancer survival. Goodrem performed a song to close the event.
This morning, Perry spoke with CNN about Rock Stars of Science.
Find out more about the Rock Stars of Science, and nominate your own rock star scientist at www.rockstarsofscience.org.
The Quest for Cures: Horizons for Cancer Research
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009Join us October 1 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Capitol Hill as we discuss horizons for cancer research. Hear from scientists and patients who are seeking greater insights into cancer — a leading cause of death for Americans — and discover how collaboration, investment and personalized medicine results in better health for all of us.
When it comes to defeating cancer, we need strength in numbers. Will you stand with us? RSVP here.
Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health, gives examples of the research that has made cancer cures and prevention possible in this week’s PARADE magazine.
I admit that these dramatic advances can’t be applied to every case of cancer, yet they show the direction in which cancer research and treatment are going. Researchers can envision a time in which every type of genetic alteration that causes cancer will be known. The Cancer Genome Atlas, an NIH project, is scaling up to study the genetic causes of more than 20 of the most common forms of cancer. Though much more work needs to be done, and continued research support is critical to help dedicated scientists and physicians move forward as quickly as possible, the stunning results for CML may be achievable in the future for many other types of cancer.
Continue reading about breakthroughs in cancer treatment.
NIH Director on NPR’s Science Friday
Friday, September 11th, 2009
Science Friday, a weekly edition of National Public Radio’s show “Talk of the Nation,” featured Francis Collins, the new National Institutes of Health director. Collins discussed his priorities for NIH in light of the funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act adn beyond.
A podcast of today’s program is available here.
Francis Collins Addresses NIH Constituents
Thursday, September 10th, 2009Yesterday, Francis Collins, MD, PhD, new director of the National Institutes of Health, spoke to leaders of scientific organizations and nonprofit voluntary and advocacy organizations about the future of NIH.
As NIH director, Collins said he will balance investigator-initiated research with the big projects, like the Human Genome Project. Collins named translational research as his particular passion, and said that NIH can help bridge the gap between public-private partnerships to bring better treatments to the market. He addressed health reform, saying that science should be put to work for its benefit through social and behavioral research, health research economics and addressing health disparities. Other opportunities that Collins named included applying genomics to understand fundamental biology, focusing on global health and reinvigorating the biomedical research community.
Collins also asked for the community’s help in tell stories about research: describing its importance and economic impact to decision-makers and the public. He emphasized that he wanted to keep the channels of communication open, and said that summaries of issues important to NIH should be sent to NIH-LISTENS@nih.gov.
Follow Collins’s talk on Twitter under hashtag #fhi and a videocast of the event is available here.
New NIH Director names Global Health in his Top Five
Friday, August 21st, 2009
Addressing a gathering of National Institutes of Health staff on August 17, NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, elevated the importance of global health to a top 5 priority.
Collins said, “There seems to be a great deal of enthusiasm in ratcheting up global health research and training. The science is more compelling than it might have been a few years ago in terms of what we might do, and the needs are great. … This is a great time to be promoting that.”
Read the full article in the August issue of Global Health Matters.
–Garrett Heilman
Reuters: Funding Top Goal for New NIH Director Collins
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, was sworn in yesterday as the 16th director of the National Institutes of Health. He spoke with reporters, including Reuters’ Maggie Fox, about his priorities for the institutes, starting with more federal funding for research:
On his first day on the job Monday, Collins told reporters he would press Congress for more stable funding of the agency, which has a budget this year of $30.9 billion.
The NIH has complained of “flat” funding in recent years, which Collins says translates to 17 percent less spending power since 2003. As a result, researchers are demoralized, good ideas never see the light of day and the United States is losing its lead in medical research, he said.
Predictable, stable funding “has to be our number one priority,” Collins said.
The economic stimulus package approved in March allocates $10.4 billion in extra money to NIH for 2009 and 2010. “What keeps me awake is … what is going to happen after two years of (stimulus package) funding ends,” Collins said.
Read Fox’s entire article online. (H/T FasterCures Smart Brief)
Honoring Senators Harkin, Kennedy and Specter
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009On August 4, Research!America, The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health honored Senators Tom Harkin (IA), Edward M. Kennedy (MA) and Arlen Specter (PA).
Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD; Sen. Harkin and Elias A. Zerhouni, MD, are pictured on the cover of today’s Roll Call. Sen. Specter and The Honorable John Edward Porter, Research!America’s board chair, are pictured accompanying an article on the Pennsylvania senate race in today’s Washington Times.
More photos and a summary coming soon.
HHS Secretary Sebelius Meets With Research!America
Friday, July 17th, 2009Yesterday evening, Research!America had the pleasure of hosting a dinner to welcome Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to Washington.
In addition to the Secretary and many of Research!America’s board and emeritus directors, we were joined by Francis Collins, MD, PhD, the president's nominee to direct the National Institutes of Health; Raynard Kington, MD, PhD, acting director, NIH; Arden Bement, PhD, director, National Science Foundation; and Carolyn Clancy, MD, director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Research!America’s chair, The Honorable John Edward Porter, provided opening comments. He said, “Research is an essential part of health reform. Technology and innovation, science and research are central to America’s growth. Without them, we have no bright future for our children and grandchildren. Research!America is the only organization devoted solely to advocacy for research to improve health. This is our mission, this is our dream.”
Addressing the attendees, Secretary Sebelius opened by saying, “Science is BACK at the Department of Health and Human Services. This president is very committed to science as the basis we use when making decisions, the central theme to be guided by, not politics or personal preferences.”
She also noted, “The principle that science should guide the way is important to health reform – knowing what works and what doesn’t.”
Secretary Sebelius continued, “The $10.5 billion for NIH in the Recovery Act was enormous recognition that research is a pathway toward prosperity in America.” She acknowledged the potential for a drop off in research funding after the stimulus dollars end. She observed the great contribution research can make to our national and local economies, “the business opportunities and the economic value, beyond the benefits to health and human potential.”
The Secretary recognized the contributions of NIH’s Dr. Kington, “who really led the process at NIH to develop the new stem cell guidelines.” She also called on Dr. Collins for brief comments, which included the importance of investing in academic research to move new targets and treatments through the pipeline.
What Research!America Is Doing
Research!America is working with our members and partners to ensure that research is indeed considered in health reform and that the importance of research in the long term is not overlooked in the immediate debates about reform. We are also working actively with Congress and other stakeholders to maintain momentum around research funding and the Recovery Act investment.
Our alliance is well positioned to collaborate with federal research and policy leaders, such as the Secretary and research agency leaders. The strength of our broad-based membership was evident in the attendance at yesterday’s dinner – with representation from leaders of academic institutions, media, insurers, industry, professional societies and voluntary agencies.
Research!America looks forward to continuing to work with you to make research to improve health a higher national priority.
NIH Director Nominee is A Rock Star of Science
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, whose nomination to head the National Institutes of Health was announced this week, still makes time to jam on the customized “double helix” acoustic guitar that was presented to him by a grateful staff when he was director of National Human Genome Research Institute.
Dr. Collins, 10 other leading medical researchers and several rock music artists are part of the Rock Stars of Science campaign, sponsored by Geoffrey Beene Gives Back. Rock S.O.S showcases the need for greater research funding and works to capture the imaginations of the next generation of rock star scientists.
To learn more about ROCK S.O.S, sign a declaration calling for more funding for science research or nominate a Rock Star of Science, go to www.rockstarsofscience.org.
Associated Press: Obama to Name Gene Guru Francis Collins NIH Chief
Thursday, July 9th, 2009After the wait for the nomination of the NIH director was over, many organizations, including Research!America, were quick to praise Obama’s pick of Francis Collins. The Associated Press published an article on Collins’s nomination which quoted The Hon. John Edward Porter, Research!America’s board chair. Collins was also recognized for his role in Rock Stars of Science
And this spring Collins, 59, was named one of GQ Magazine’s “Rock Stars of Science,” posing in cool shades as part of a publicity campaign to bring celebrity to science.
John Porter, a former Republican congressman from Illinois who now chairs the health advocacy group Research!America called Collins “a perfect choice.”
“He knows the science and he is an outstanding leader,” Porter said.
The rest of the article is available here, or via The Houston Chronicle, CBSNews.com and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Porter was also quoted in The Scientist News Blog.
Alan Leshner, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Research!America board member, also praised the choice.
“Francis Collins is a guy who can speak to top-notch scientists and at the same time has a tremendous skill speaking to the public and policymakers.”
Research!America Praises Nomination of Francis Collins as NIH Director
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
Research!America praised today’s nomination of Francis Collins, MD, PhD, as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). From 1993 to 2008, Collins was director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH, where his achievements included completing the Human Genome Project and working to protect the privacy of patients’ genetic information and prohibit gene-based insurance and employer discrimination.
The Honorable John Edward Porter, Research!America’s chair, said, “It is a perfect nomination. Francis Collins understands all of science and has a broad vision for advancing human health through research. He is one of the leading scientists of our time and will provide the kind of strong, effective leadership that should always be the hallmark of the National Institutes of Health.”
Porter, an Illinois Congressman from 1980 to 2001, added, “During the time that Dr. Collins headed NHGRI and guided the Human Genome Project toward completion, I had the opportunity to work closely with him, providing funding to complete and carry his work forward. I have complete confidence that he will provide outstanding leadership for NIH and continue its influence throughout the world.”
Mary Woolley, Research!America’s president and CEO, said, “We urge the Senate to confirm Dr. Collins immediately so that he can get to work on behalf of all those, in this nation and around the world, who look to the NIH for leadership in research for health. I am convinced that he will be a strong and effective leader for the NIH at this time of unprecedented national health and economic challenges. He is a respected, insightful and articulate leader who understands the public and policy aspects of leading an agency such as the NIH.”
Woolley continued, “When confirmed, Dr. Collins will take over the reins of leadership from Acting Director Raynard Kington, MD. Dr. Kington has done an exemplary job of managing the NIH in a time of extraordinary response by the research community to the directive of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to put research back to work in the service of the nation’s recovery and, in the long-term, sustained economic growth and advances in health.”
Rock Stars of Science Campaign Launched
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Geoffrey Beene Gives Back and GQ Magazine have launched Rock Stars of Science (ROCK S.O.S), a public service campaign bringing rock stars together with some of the nation’s leading medical researchers to advocate for greater research funding.
The Rock S.O.S campaign idea was generated in part by a recent Research!America public opinion poll finding (PDF): 74% of Americans can’t name a living scientist. ROCK S.O.S aims to bridge that recognition gap.
The June issue of GQ Magazine kicks off the initiative with a six-page photo spread, which features Sheryl Crow; former National Human Genome Research Institute Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD; Aerosmith’s Joe Perry; presidential adviser Harold Varmus, MD; Josh Groban; Harvard University researcher Rudy Tanzi, PhD; and many others.
“Scientists like to tell ourselves that we are too busy to worry about image,” Collins said in a Rock S.O.S press release. “But the reality is that our work only has a chance of making a difference if we build a much broader base of popular support.”
Meryl Comer, president of the Geoffrey Beene Gives Back Alzheimer’s Initiative and ROCK S.O.S campaign coordinator, said, “ROCK S.O.S will help mobilize Americans in a number of ways to end this moment in history when our greatest minds and dedicated public servants are too often overlooked.”
Geoffrey Beene is a designer menswear brand that donates 100% of its profits to philanthropic causes.
See www.rockstarsofscience.org, launched today, for more information about the project, profiles of the rock star scientists and to sign a declaration calling for more funding for science research. Visitors to the site can also sign up to become a part of Research!America’s advocacy network to receive updates about taking action and contacting Congress to increase federal funding for research.
Sign onto the Rock S.O.S declaration for more funding for research.
View a behind-the-scenes video of the creation of the GQ ad spread and hear the rock stars talk about the importance of research.
Here, Ron Peterson, MD, PhD, talks about translational research and its impact on patients.
Sign onto the Rock S.O.S declaration for more funding for research.