At "Stand Up for Science" rallies across the U.S., scientists and their supporters protested Trump administration actions affecting research.

After a 32-year career at the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., retired from the agency, effective Feb. 28. | After a 32-year career at the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins,

Dr. Collins, a renowned geneticist, ran the National Institutes of Health for 12 years. His parting statement offered a pointed, if veiled, message to the Trump administration.

In what some are calling "poetic justice," Dr. Jay Bhattacharya's appointment to head the NIH comes after his predecessor, Dr. Francis Collins, smeared him as a "fringe" character.

Former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins unexpectedly retired on Friday, writing in a statement that employees of the government's biomedical research institution "deserve the utmost respect and support of all Americans.

Dr. Francis Collins, a renowned geneticist, and former longtime director of the National Institutes of Health, is retiring from the government agency and urging “respect” for its embattled workers.

Key Takeaways Dr. Francis Collins has retired after 12 years leading the National Institutes of Health and decades of scientific workHe praised NIH staff while hinting at concerns over Trump administration actionsHis departure comes just before a hearing for Trump’s nominee,

Dr. Francis Collins is leaving the National Institutes of Health, where he served as director from 2009 to 2021. The agency is facing cutbacks and restrictions under the Trump administration.

According to Judicial Watch, documents show that the NIH under Collins provided nearly $3 million in tax dollars to support a fetal organ harvesting operation by the University of Pittsburgh in its “quest to become a ‘Tissue Hub’ for human fetal tissue ranging from 6 to 42 [!] weeks gestation.”

In an ironic turn of events, a Stanford University professor whom Francis Collins, the former head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), attacked, has been nominated to head that very agency. Wh

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya spoke about how important freedom of speech is for science on Wednesday during his Senate confirmation hearing to head the National Institutes of Health (find his opening statement and the full hearing here).