Christian apologeur and world-renowned US physician geneticist Francis Collins announced his retirement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he served as director for 12 years before returning to the lab.
Collins, 74, served as the 16th NIH Director from August 17, 2009 to December 19, 2021 before working in the lab at the National Institute of Human Genomes, a part of the NIH.
The well-known scientist, who is also the founder of Biologos, a think tank of faith and science, announced his retirement plans from his NIH day job on Saturday (March 1) after notifying representative director Matt Memoli the day before.
“Millions of people will never know that Dr. Collins saved his life,” former US President Joe Biden said in 2021 after Collins stepped down as NIH director. “Number of researchers aim to follow in his footsteps, and I miss the brilliant heart and the advice, expertise and good humor of my dear friend.”
The NIH is currently subject to budget cuts under President Donald Trump’s executive order, but Collins did not directly mention this in his announcement of his retirement. He gave no reason to retire and refused to interview media. Last year, Collins fought off aggressive prostate cancer, but he didn’t show whether his health was a factor in his decision to quit.
On LinkedIn, postdoctoral researcher Mario Lewis Perez at the University of California, San Francisco has published Collins’ “Goodbye Letter to the NIH” in full, adding “The Difficult Era for Science.”
Collins’ statement listed both the achievements of both the NIH and his own successes and successes during his tenure.
“I loved being employed by this extraordinary life-giving agency for 32 years,” Collins wrote, adding that his resolve to seek the common good of his fellow human beings will not diminish with his retirement. “I will continue to devote my life in other ways to seek knowledge, improve my health, heal illness and reduce suffering.
Collins also paid tribute to his colleagues at the NIH where he has worked for decades.
“When I leave the NIH, I want to express my gratitude and love to the men and women who have worked side by side for many years. They are individuals of extraordinary intelligence and integrity, selfless, hardworking, generous and considerate. They personify excellence in every respect and deserve the greatest respect and support of all Americans.”
Collins praised the NIH for decades as “a federal crown jewel” and “the world’s most important medical research institute.”
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to be part of this institution in various roles over the past 40 years,” he added.
Collins spoke about how NIH supported her work at the University of Michigan through a peer-reviewed grant in the 1980s, allowing her to identify the genes that cause cystic fibrosis with the support of her colleagues.
“Thirty years later, it led to an almost miraculous treatment that most children with cystic fibrosis look forward to a near-normal lifespan,” he said.
Collins led the Congress-funded Human Genome Project, which was adopted by the NIH in 1993, and was completed two years ago, and was “a very bold initiative to read human DNA guidance books,” which was completed two years ago and was within budget.
“The success of the project and its commitment to sharing all data quickly and freely has revolutionized all aspects of human biomedical research and medical practice,” Collins said.
The success of this study called on Collins to serve as director of the NIH, where he advised three US presidents: Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. He said he loves “they’s interactions and relationships,” including working regularly with members of Congress.
“Throughout time, investing in medical research was seen as a high priority and non-political, bipartisan effort. It saved countless lives, eased human suffering, and contributed essentially to the US economy,” Collins said.
“Its consistent support has enabled bold new projects in regenerative medicine, brain science, precision health, cancer and opioid addiction solutions.
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, Collins helped coordinate public and private healthcare partnerships in his role as director of the NIH, leading to the Covid-19 vaccine in just 11 months.
As a proxy scientific advisor to the White House, Collins organized an initiative to eliminate hepatitis C in the US at Human Genome Institutes nationwide in 2023, before overseeing gene therapy for rare pre-aged disorders called prochiasia, on the causes and prevention of type 2 diabetes and prevention.
“NIH is the biggest supporter of biomedical research in the world,” concluded Collins. “The main piston of the world’s vy hopeful biomedical discovery engine. But it’s not a common name. It should be.
“NIH supports everything from basic science to clinical trials and provides the foundation for many breakthroughs. When we hear about patients who endure stage 4 cancer for immunotherapy, it is based on NIH research for decades.
“When I heard that sickle cell disease is cured due to CRISPR (clustering short palindromic repeats that are regularly scattered), this was built on years of research supported by the NIH.
“It is also the biggest supporter of global health research worldwide and has gained many friends and colleagues around the world.”
Collins has previously been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Templeton Award and the Medal of Science.
