NCI to Begin Search for a New Director

Harold Varmus, MD, who has led the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for nearly 5years, announced today that he will step down from his post, effective March 31, 2015.

“It has been our great fortune to have Harold at the helm of the NCI,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, “His breadth and depth of expertise in biomedical research is unparalleled, and he’s been a tremendous colleague to me and invaluable to the agency.” Douglas Lowy, MD, who currently serves as the Deputy Director, will become acting director for NCI beginning April 1, 2015. Dr Lowy, a long-time NCI intramural researcher, received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Obama in 2014 for his research that led to the development of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

Read the complete news release by the NIH: http://1.usa.gov/1FYgj3i