The future of NIH
His retirement follows the departure of other top leaders at the NIH.
“As I depart NIH, I want to express my gratitude and love for the men and women with whom I have worked side-by-side for so many years. They are individuals of extraordinary intellect and integrity, selfless and hard-working, generous and compassionate. They personify excellence in every way, and they deserve the utmost respect and support of all Americans,” Collins wrote.
The NIH is among the federal agencies reeling from the Trump administration’s campaign to downsize the federal government. NIH has lost about 1,200 employees in the layoffs so far. At the same time, the Trump administration has restricted the NIH’s public communications and grant-making process, and is trying to cap the rate at which the NIH pays for the indirect costs of doing medical research at 15%, which is far lower than the rate that has been paid at many institutions. Scientists say it could cripple medical research. A federal judge in Boston is deciding whether the cap can go forward.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya,a Stanford University health economist nominated by President Trump to take over the NIH, faces his Senate confirmation on Wednesday.
Bhattacharya, who would take charge of an agency that employs more than 18,000 workers and funds nearly $48 billion in scientific research through nearly 50,000 grants to more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2,500 universities, medical schools and other institutions, has long been critical of the NIH.