New NIH Director Will Face Challenges Allocating Research Funds

Elias Zerhouni, confirmed by the Senate as the new NIH director on May 3, "faces an enormous challenge in his new job," according to an editorial published in The Lancet. Zerhouni must ensure that funds "lavished" on the agency by Congress and President Bush "are well spent," the editorial states. The The Lancet adds that he will also have to recruit new directors for several institutes without permanent heads and decide "if he wants to tackle the agency's unwieldy organization." In addition, according to the editorial, Zerhouni will have to "guide the agency through the increasingly bitter political battles involving such biomedical advances as genetic engineering, stem cell research and cloning." The Lancet states, "So far it is hard to tell how Zerhouni will handle this challenge" but adds that he will not likely "be able to remain outside these battles." Zerhouni "will inevitably be forced to take stands based on his understanding of the facts as well as his values, stands that may be unpopular with the president, Congress, the American people or the scientific community," the editorial states, concluding, "This may well prove to be the toughest part of his job" (The Lancet, 5/11).