Where’s Dr. Francis Collins of the National Human Genome Research Institute?

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted October 10, 2007 in DNA in General, Personalities with DNA

Genetic Alliance is leading the drive to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute.

As the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, Dr. Francis Collins led the Human Genome Project. Congress wants to recognize his work with the Congressional Gold Medal. Dr. Collins’ work has opened the doors for treatments and cures for genetic diseases. He has made a tremendous impact on our community, our country, and the world. Please ask your senators to cosponsor S.2140, a bill to honor Dr. Collins.

You can find a sample letter at Genetic Alliance including a list of senators plus their phone and fax numbers.

Interestingly, Francis Collins was conspicuously missing in Newsweek International’s list of 10 Hottest Nerds (in genomics) nor was he mentioned in the feature article - The Year of Miracles by Lee Silver, professor of molecular biology at Princeton.

The year 1905 was an annus mirabilis, or miracle year—a rare historical moment in which key flashes of insight suddenly made the field of physics take off in new directions. That was the year Albert Einstein presented four papers that turned the conventional wisdom about how the universe works, from the infinitesimal realm of atoms to the vast reaches of the cosmos, upside down. During the next several decades, Einstein and a handful of other brilliant physicists went on to shape the 20th century and lay the foundation for all its technological accomplishments.

A century later, the year 2007 is shaping up to be another annus mirabilis. This time biology is the field in transition, and the ideas being shattered are old notions of genes and inheritance.

Makes me wonder what’s keeping Francis Collins out of the limelight lately…aside from that fellow on the Time magazine cover with him up there.

Tags: francis collins, congressional gold medal, genetic alliance, genomics, genes, dna, science, health, medicine

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2 Comments »

Pingback by I Found Francis Collins!

2007-10-10 20:35:16

[...] October 10, 2007 in Personalities with DNA, DNA Podcasts and Videos, DNA in General Just when I was wondering where the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute was hiding, here are the latest [...]

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Pingback by NHGRI Director Francis Collins to Step Down on August 1

2008-05-28 20:52:35

[...] Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), seemed to be keeping a low profile. Maybe he was already plotting his exit [...]

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