For a remarkable 12 years, Collins oversaw one of the crown jewels of U.S. biomedical research: the National Institutes of Health. He stepped down at the end of 2021, but not before becoming one of the most respected U.S. health officials in Washington, having served in the Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. Although he largely ceded the floor on Covid-19 matters to his colleague, Anthony Fauci, Collins was still an authoritative (and avuncular) voice on the pandemic, speaking out, for instance, on the importance of scientific research to develop therapeutics.
From STAT:
