Every End has a New Beginning

Last week Francis Collins, MD, PhD, announced his plans to step down as the Director of the National Institutes of Health after serving in this position for 12 years. Francis is a force of nature — a tall man with a gigantic vision of how science can serve and improve society. I could recount for you the many ways Francis and his wife, Diane Baker, enhanced NIH.

It was Francis’ vision to establish the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at NIH, launch the All of Us Research Program – uniting one million people throughout the United States to advance science through the study of everyday health, and mobilize NIH and a network of partners to mount an effective campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic. Blending his scientific expertise with a deep love for music, Francis launched the Sound Health Initiative between NIH and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in association with the National Endowment for the Arts, to bring together neuroscience and music to explore the potential for music to treat a wide range of conditions resulting from neurological and other disorders. 

Diane made it her mission to be sure that the children, patients, and families who came to the NIH Clinical Center for with hopes of life-saving therapeutics felt the support of the entire NIH community. Whether it was mobilizing volunteers to cook a Sunday dinner for families at The Children’s Inn at NIH or organizing fundraisers to provide free lodging and support for families whose children were undergoing treatment, Diane was there. Personally, Diane reached out to me when I arrived at NIH and encouraged me to find ways NLM could enhance its support to patients and families. This very invitation led to some wonderful connections that resulted in making NLM’s resources more valuable to more people.

Francis taught me what it means to have a boss with passion and vision. His personal engagement with data science and molecular biology made him keenly aware of the value of NLM’s mission to advance science. He listened carefully as NLM leadership made a case for modernizing our important resources that support broad access to genomic data and enable researchers, clinicians, patients, and the public find clinical trials information. Francis had a knack for putting NIH Institute and Center directors in front to tell the story of NIH’s accomplishments to Congress and the public. It is this very strategy that helped me recognize that the best spokespeople for NLM are those leaders who provide our services every single day.

We are at the dawning of a new era — for Francis and Diane, for NIH, and for NLM. Francis is not leaving NIH – he will continue to lead his research laboratory at the National Human Genome Research Institute, with a focus on the genomic basis for diseases such as type 2 diabetes. I am sure Diane’s passion for public service will continue to find new expressions.

Under new leadership, NIH will grow in new ways that I know will be grounded in our decades of accomplishments in understanding the basic mechanisms of disease, mobilizing research to improve public health, and data-driven discovery. NIH will persist in its commitment to advance health equity while addressing structural racism. NLM will continue to expand its investments in scientific communication, large-scale data resources, and the network needed to be sure that the opportunities and benefits of science reach people in communities across the country through our Network of the National Library of Medicine.

I send my best wishes to Francis and Diane with my deepest respect, gratitude for your support of the NLM and its mission, heartfelt thanks for what you have taught me, and a great blessing of the Irish:

THANK YOU, FRANCIS!