Endocrine Insider
September 17, 2009

(See Full Issue)

Francis Collins, MD PhD, the new director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), met with representatives of scientific societies, including The Endocrine Society, on September 9 to reiterate his priorities for the agency and to solicit the input of the societies on the issues that are important to them.

Dr. Collins assured this audience, as he assured NIH staff last month, that despite his background as head of the National Human Genome Research Institute, he will not prioritize “big science” over investigator-initiated work.  He also stated that he will prioritize openness in the agency and push an innovation agenda in the peer-review process.  He again outlined five areas, or themes, in which he sees great opportunity in the near future:

•    Using high-throughput technologies to rapidly advance basic scientific knowledge
•    Translating basic research into clinical practice
•    Putting science to work in healthcare reform
•    Focusing on global health, engaging in research in collaboration with other countries
•    Reinvigorating and empowering the biomedical research workforce

In reaching out to the scientific societies, Dr. Collins requested their help in the following areas:

•    Propagating a common and consistent voice in support of biomedical research.  In this regard, Dr. Collins urged societies to employ stories of patients and how research helped save or improve their lives.
•    Developing new and compelling ways to describe NIH research.  Dr. Collins argued that these are most effective when they incorporate economic arguments such as “bending the healthcare curve.”
•    Keeping two-way communication channels open between NIH and constituents.  To this end, Dr. Collins requested that societies consider submitting a brief summary of issues of which he and the Institute/Center directors should be aware.  The Endocrine Society will formulate comments to take advantage of this opportunity to have endocrinologists’ voices heard.

To view the entire presentation and the subsequent question-and-answer session, click here.