Biden picks cancer surgeon Monica Bertagnolli to head NIH
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[May 16, 2023]
By Julie Steenhuysen
(Reuters) - The Biden administration on Monday said it intends to
nominate cancer surgeon Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to lead the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) following a 16-month search for a permanent
successor to the agency's long-serving director Dr. Francis Collins, who
stepped down in December 2021.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Bertagnolli will become the second
woman to lead the NIH, the largest biomedical research agency in the
world with a budget of $45 billion in 2022. NIH falls under the
direction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"Dr. Bertagnolli is a world-class physician-scientist whose vision and
leadership will ensure NIH continues to be an engine of innovation to
improve the health of the American people," President Joe Biden said in
a statement.
Bertagnolli's selection follows her appointment in October 2022 as
director of the National Cancer Institute, a part of NIH, where she
spearheaded a National Cancer Plan. Announced in April, the plan aims to
reinvigorate Biden's 'Cancer Moonshot' program, which was first launched
in 2016 by then Vice President Biden to accelerate progress in cancer
research.
"She has done in that short amount of time, so many innovative things
that will lead to real change," said Dr. Julie Gralow, chief medical
officer and executive vice president of the American Society of Clinical
Oncology, a group Bertagnolli led as president from 2018-2019.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/May/16/images/ads/current/bauer_sda_PROMGRAD_2023.png)
Gralow said the National Cancer Plan reflects Bertagnolli's concern for
equity in clinical trials and access to cancer treatment in underserved
areas - a key focus at the NIH.
Bertagnolli previously served as head of surgical oncology at the
Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center, a top cancer research facility.
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![](../images/051623pix/health67.jpg)
U.S. President Joe Biden walks to attend
an event to highlight his administration's conservation initiatives,
at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 11, 2023.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/May/16/images/ads/current/peasleymemorials_lda_2022.png) Dana-Farber Surgeon-In-Chief, Dr.
Gerard Doherty, who has known Bertagnolli for 30 years, said she is
"extraordinarily qualified" to lead the NIH, noting early work in
her career as a basic scientist in colon cancer and later work
focused on the design and conduct of clinical trials.
"She's done a great job of getting things done in complicated
organizations where they need lots of buy-in," he said.
In December, Bertagnolli announced that she had been diagnosed with
early-stage breast cancer and would need surgery and possibly
additional treatment, but added that the prognosis was very
favorable.
"Dr. Bertagnolli is a physician scientist and a patient herself, and
deeply understands the intricacies and personal impact of biomedical
research," said Ellen Sigal, chair and founder of non-profit think
tank Friends of Cancer Research.
Bernadine Healy was the first woman to head the NIH, serving from
April 1991 to June 1993.
Collins, a genetics pioneer, was appointed as the head of NIH in
2009 by President Barack Obama, and went on to serve the agency
under three presidents.
Lawrence Tabak has been performing the director duties since
December 2021, after previously holding the roles of principal
deputy director and deputy ethics counselor at NIH since 2010.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago, Doina Chiacu in
Washington D.C. and Raghav Mahobe in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill
Berkrot)
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