WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Monday that he will nominate Dr. Monica Bertagnolli as the next director of the National Institutes of Health.
The White House described Bertagnolli as «a world-renowned surgical oncologist, cancer researcher, educator, and medical leader who has the vision and leadership necessary to fulfill the NIH mission of seeking fundamental knowledge and advancing human health.» .
«Dr. Bertagnolli has spent her career pioneering scientific discovery and pushing the boundaries of what is possible to improve cancer prevention and treatment for patients, and ensuring that patients in all communities have access to quality care. of quality,» Biden said in a statement.
Bertagnolli has served as director of the National Cancer Institute since October 2022, where Biden said he has made progress in his Cancer Moonshot effort to end cancer.
«He has brought together partners and resources from different sectors to launch innovative efforts in cancer prevention and early detection, a national childhood cancer navigation program, and additional programs to bring clinical trials to more Americans,» Biden said.
Bertagnolli previously worked as a professor of surgery specializing in surgical oncology at Harvard Medical School. She was also a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
She has been «at the forefront of clinical and research oncology,» the White House said. His online biography says it helped advance current understanding of a genetic mutation that could lead to gastrointestinal cancer and the role of inflammation in cancer growth.
She is set to replace Lawrence Tabak, who has served as NIH’s acting director since December 2021 when Francis Collins resigned after leading the federal agency since being nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009.
The position of NIH director requires Senate confirmation. The upper house unanimously confirmed Collins in office.