National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins will step down from his role by the end of year, concluding a 12-year tenure as the agency's leader.
He will continue to lead a laboratory at NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), which conducts biological studies on type 2 diabetes, the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.
Collins became NIH's director in 2009 under the Obama administration and continued to hold the role in the two succeeding administrations.
He joined the agency when he became the director of NHGRI, which he led from 1993 to 2008. His work at NIH includes leadership over the international Human Genome Project and contributions to research initiatives that tackled cancer, COVID-19 and other health issues.
As NIH director, Collins convinced Congress to boost NIH’s budget from $30 billion to $41.3 billion across his tenure.
