Dr. Collins was appointed to head the NIH in 2009 by then-President Barack Obama and stayed on for 12 years to serve under two more presidents.
He started his career in genetics and was part of a team that helped discover the gene that causes cystic fibrosis. In 1993, NIH recruited him to work on a human genome mapping project. Over his time heading the agency, he helped bolster the budget of NIH to nearly $50 billion a year.
He said he wishes the agency would’ve researched vaccine hesitancy more seriously, despite being very proud of the work his scientists put into studying COVID-19.
Dr. Collins said he plans to return to research after his retirement from NIH.
“I have loved this role,” he told CBS. “But 12-plus years is a long time to have a single leader of this largest supporter of biomedical research in the world. It’s good to have new vision.”
He stepped down Dec. 20.
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