Earlier this month, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) posted 12 open positions seeking directors for numerous institutes and centers (ICs), including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the Center for Scientific Review. They are also looking to hire a Deputy Director for Intramural Research, who will work within the Office of the Director (OD). Close dates for the openings range from November 21 to November 26. The search for a Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recently closed on November 14.
FABBS has expressed concern over the nature of these postings, due to the fact they were posted during the government shutdown and in some cases, allowed only two weeks for application materials to be compiled and submitted.
In late March, the Trump Administration fired several Directors as part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) “dramatic restructuring” (see previous FABBS coverage). At the time, NIH reassigned both Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo (NIAID) and Dr. Diana Bianchi (NICHD) to the Indian Health Service and placed several others on administrative leave. For several months now, Acting Directors have been leading many of the agency’s ICs. The Acting Directors have typically come from within the IC, such as Dr. Alison Cernich, whose “regular” role is Deputy Director of NICHD.
It has never been more important to have well-qualified, experienced scientists in these positions and FABBS is strongly encouraging our members to consider applying—or reach out to others who may be well-suited for these roles. We are happy to discuss these opportunities further with anyone who is interested and facilitate conversations with others who have previously served in these roles. Reach us at info@fabbs.org.
