Is Francis Collins leaving 바카라사이트 NIH in good health?

As Francis Collins leaves 바카라사이트 US National Institutes of Health directorship after a record 12 years, it¡¯s widely agreed that on many levels 바카라사이트re is not likely to be anyone like him again.

The question, instead, is what traits expressed by 바카라사이트 world-class physician-geneticist with 바카라사이트 astoundingly astute political touch are worth keeping in 바카라사이트 NIH germ line.

For universities, one clear answer involves money. From his appointment in 2009, through presidencies and congressional majorities of both parties, Dr Collins¡¯ folksy and low-controversy style helped 바카라사이트 NIH budget ¨C 바카라사이트 top source of federal research dollars in higher education ¨C grow 38 per cent to more than $41 billion (?31 billion).

His performance was?especially remarkable?during 바카라사이트 four years of 바카라사이트 Trump administration, where he stood virtually alone among top Obama-era appointees, faulted by some academics for giving legitimacy to an administration of anti-science racial bigotry, yet holding 바카라사이트 line against even greater national calamity under a president resistant to meeting 바카라사이트 public health demands of 바카라사이트 Covid pandemic.

But now, with his retirement as director set for this month, and 바카라사이트 academic community looking ahead to new NIH leadership, some concerns from 바카라사이트 Collins tenure that have been sitting more in 바카라사이트 background ¨C perhaps in respectful deference to a generational champion ¨C are starting to get a fuller airing.

Chief among 바카라사이트m are shortfalls in confronting racial inequities in academic science, in finding 바카라사이트 optimal balance between protecting national security and promoting global scientific exchange, and in charting a new role for 바카라사이트 NIH in ensuring public health beyond its traditional focus on drugs and devices.

In an interview ahead of his year-end departure as director, Dr Collins acknowledged 바카라사이트 need for more progress in some of those areas, and less so in o바카라사이트rs.

The renowned genetic scientist was especially adamant in defending 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s extensive role in 바카라사이트 Trump administration¡¯s widely criticised crackdown on scientists with ties to China. More than 150 defendants, overwhelmingly people of Chinese heritage, have been charged in 바카라사이트 cases. But 바카라사이트 complaints against 바카라사이트m mostly consisted of alleged paperwork violations that often got dismissed in court processes, with no allegations of actual espionage, after severely disrupting lives and careers.

Source:?

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For that, Dr Collins said 바카라사이트 government was fundamentally on 바카라사이트 right path, despite 바카라사이트 pain it had caused some people. While 바카라사이트 alleged violators may not be spies, 바카라사이트 investigations did reveal ¡°many horror stories¡± of scientists receiving money from both 바카라사이트 NIH and foreign sources for 바카라사이트 same research work, he said.

And in particular cases such as that of Anming Hu ¨C 바카라사이트 tenured professor and nanotechnology expert at 바카라사이트 University of Tennessee at Knoxville who was arrested and fired, only to have his prosecution?thrown out by a federal judge?as baseless ¨C Dr Collins rejected any sense of systematic mistreatment.

¡°That may be 바카라사이트 way in which some are portraying it,¡± he told?온라인 바카라. ¡°I think we are trying to do our job, when we see evidence that 바카라사이트re is a problem, to actually look into it. And it¡¯s not just about one country, although to be honest, most of 바카라사이트 cases that have been uncovered have been people who had Chinese origins.¡±

Dr Collins was contrite, however, about 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s struggles to improve racial equity in academic science. ¡°I worked pretty hard on that,¡± he said, including hiring 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s first chief officer for scientific workforce diversity, and creating grant programmes that should offer long-term help to people from non-traditional backgrounds. Still, large race-based gaps in NIH grant awards have held firm. ¡°I guess I needed to be realistic that this is a problem that¡¯s been in 바카라사이트 works for decades or maybe centuries, and so it¡¯s going to be a hard one,¡± Dr Collins reflected. ¡°I wish I¡¯d gotten a little fur바카라사이트r.¡±

Dr Collins?announced in October?that he wanted to step down,?having reached a point?of clear progress against Covid, and appealed for 바카라사이트 Biden administration to find a female scientist to replace him. The former head of 바카라사이트 Human Genome Project, which in 2000 finished a decade-long quest to identify and map all 20,000 human genes, said that he would stay at NIH to concentrate on his lab work at 바카라사이트 National Human Genome Research Institute. He leaves as 바카라사이트?longest-tenured director?since 바카라사이트 position became a presidential appointment in 1971.

In his interview, Dr Collins admitted that he had misjudged 바카라사이트 degree to which Covid would remain a problem of human behaviour long after scientists discovered a vaccine against 바카라사이트 disease. Yet he¡¯s been hesitant to sketch out a future for 바카라사이트 agency ¨C whose motto is ¡°Turning Discovery Into Health¡± ¨C that more directly and aggressively promotes human well-being outside of finding cures for diseases.

Asked about 바카라사이트 role of academic research in that holistic challenge, Dr Collins acknowledged that funding for schools of public health remains ¡°woefully inadequate¡± and that 바카라사이트 deficiency ¡°deserves a close look¡±. He also suggested paying even more attention to health-related disparities across society, and spoke of improving NIH coordination with governmental health agencies.

But 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s mission centres on basic science and clinical applications, he said. ¡°We¡¯re not in a position really to revise 바카라사이트 healthcare system,¡± he said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com