Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NIH Director, An Obama Holdover, Will Continue In Role, White House Announces
The Washington Post: Francis Collins Will Stay On As Head Of NIH
The White House announced Tuesday that Francis S. Collins will stay on as director of the National Institutes of Health, extending Collins’s tenure even as the administration proposes deep cuts to the government’s premier biomedical research center. Collins, a physician and geneticist, has led NIH since 2009. He is renowned for his leadership of the International Human Genome Project, which in 2003 sequenced the complete human genetic blueprint for the first time. (Bernstein, 6/6)
The Wall Street Journal: Francis Collins To Stay On As Director Of National Institutes Of Health
Dr. Collins, a noted geneticist who once headed the government’s Human Genome project and served previously as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, is 67 years old. He had previously been a professor of internal medicine and human genetics at the University of Michigan, where he worked with collaborators and helped identify genes involved in maladies such as cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease. President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Collins to be NIH director in July 2009, and he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. (Burton, 6/6)
The Hill: Trump Will Keep National Institutes Of Health Director
Collins has broad support among Republicans who control the medical research agency’s purse strings. In fact, four key Republicans urged Trump to keep him in his role in a letter in December, writing that “his distinguished scientific experience, effective leadership skills, and long standing relationships with members of Congress, researchers, and advocates will service the nation and your administration well.” (Roubein, 6/6)
Stat: Trump Announces He Will Keep Francis Collins As NIH Director
The continuation announced Tuesday isn’t a guarantee that Collins will remain in place for any specific length of time, spokespeople for both the White House and the NIH confirmed. He continues to serve “at the pleasure of the President,” an NIH spokeswoman said. (Mershon, 6/6)
Politico: Trump Will Keep NIH Director
Collins, a guitar-playing, motorcycle-riding, born-again Christian, has written several books on science, medicine, and religion, and is a favorite of many Hill Republicans. (Allen, 6/6)
The Hill: Abstinence Education Advocate Named To HHS Post
The Trump administration has named a national abstinence education advocate to a post at the Department of Health and Human Services. Valerie Huber, the president of Ascend, a D.C.-based professional association that advocates for abstinence education, will be the chief of staff to the assistant secretary for health at HHS, according to a staff email obtained by The Hill. (Hellmann, 6/6)
