National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins today (November 17) announced a successor to fill his vacant post as head of NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). Eric Green, who has served as NHGRI's scientific director since 2002, will take over the top spot.

Eric Green Image: NIH

It's the first time in NIH's history that an institute's director has appointed his own successor. "Green is the perfect choice to be NHGRI director," said Collins in a statement. "He grew up professionally with the genome era and has been on the cutting edge of genomics research for more than two decades."

Green's achievements at NHGRI have included founding and directing the NIH Intramural Sequencing Center, establishing the NIH Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health, and launching programs such as the Undiagnosed Diseases Program.

"My job going forward is to push the application of genomics into all areas of biomedical research, beyond NHGRI's boundaries," Green said in the statement. "And find effective ways to collaborate with a wide range of researchers to translate genomic discoveries into medical advances." Green said he also hopes to capitalize on the knowledge obtained during the Human Genome Project, which he was involved in from start to finish.

Throughout his 30 year career, the newly appointed director has focused on basic genomics research and investigating genetic contributions to human illnesses, including identifying genes linked to hereditary deafness, vascular disease, and inherited peripheral neuropathy. He is also a strong supporter of large-scale DNA sequencing to study genomic variation among the population to increase knowledge of common diseases. Green has authored more than 240 papers that have appeared in journals such as Science, Nature and PNAS.


Related stories:

Francis Collins leaves NHGRI
[28th May 2009]

Post-genome project launches
[5th March 2003]

New era for NHGRI
[22nd November 2002]