Topline
President Joe Biden will nominate National Cancer Institute Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli as the head of the National Institutes of Health—a nomination that arrives amid a more than a year long vacancy of the NIH director position.
Dr. Monica Bertagnolli speaks during a visit from first lady Jill Biden to the University of … [+]
Key Facts
Bertagnolli, who became the National Cancer Institute’s director last October, will replace Dr. Lawrence Tabak, who is currently the NIH’s acting director and has held the position since Dr. Francis Collins’ departure in December 2021.
Bertagnolli will become the second woman to serve as a permanent director of the NIH if she is confirmed by the Senate—following in the footsteps of Dr. Bernadine P. Healy.
Key Background:
Bertagnolli previously served as the Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery in the field of surgical oncology at Harvard Medical School and was a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the second largest teaching hospital of the medical school. She was the first woman to lead the National Cancer Institute after securing the position last October and has conducted clinical oncology research focused on the gene mutation that promotes gastrointestinal cancer development. Biden has credited Bertagnolli with assisting with his Cancer Moonshot initiative, which seeks to reduce the cancer death rate by half within 25 years, according to the National Cancer Institute. The president said in a statement that Bertagnolli is a “world-class physician-scientist” that would ensure the NIH continues to be a source of innovation for Americans.
Big Number:
$45 billion. That was the NIH’s full year budget for 2021.
Further Reading:
Biden chooses cancer surgeon to lead NIH (Politico)
A Cancer Surgeon and Patient Is Biden’s Pick to Lead N.I.H. (The New York Times)
National Cancer Institute director opens up about her own cancer diagnosis (NPR)