Francis S Collins

Francis S. Collins, the scientist who led the U.S. government drive to map the human genetic code, is the leading candidate to run the National Institutes of Health, a source familiar with the selection process said. Screening for Collins, 59, is in the final stages, said the source. Collins would take over an agency that President Obama has made key to his plans for reviving the U.S. economy and overhauling healthcare.

When Mike Godfrey's employer put out a call for recruits for a study on genetic testing, he hesitated before volunteering to hand over a swab of his saliva. The communications executive at Scripps Health in La Jolla wasn't completely sure he wanted to know what the test would reveal about diseases he might get down the road. Thinking twice made sense. Ever since the 2007 introduction of direct-to-consumer genome-wide tests — which scan a person's DNA and report on the genetic risk of developing 20 to 40 common diseases — experts have wondered whether telling regular folks they're more likely to develop illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease or cancer would trigger extreme anxiety, or would result in increased use of unnecessary and expensive medical tests.

Dr. Francis S. Collins, the geneticist who discovered the causes of half a dozen diseases, oversaw the government's efforts to map the human genome and wrote a now-famous book presenting scientific evidence for a belief in God, will be nominated to head the National Institutes of Health, the White House confirmed Wednesday. "My administration is committed to promoting scientific integrity and pioneering scientific research, and I am confident that Dr.

Considering that he's the director of the federal agency that invests more than $30 billion in medical research each year, it may not be surprising that Dr. Francis Collins was on the Sony lot in Culver City last week for the telecast of "Stand Up to Cancer," a star-studded gala that aired live on more than a dozen TV networks and garnered more than $80 million in pledges to fund cancer research. But perhaps few viewers expected to see the head of the National Institutes of Health jamming onstage with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Kris Kristofferson, Aaron Neville and the Wilson sisters of Heart.

When Mike Godfrey's employer put out a call for recruits for a study on genetic testing, he hesitated before volunteering to hand over a swab of his saliva. The communications executive at Scripps Health in La Jolla wasn't completely sure he wanted to know what the test would reveal about diseases he might get down the road. Thinking twice made sense. Ever since the 2007 introduction of direct-to-consumer genome-wide tests — which scan a person's DNA and report on the genetic risk of developing 20 to 40 common diseases — experts have wondered whether telling regular folks they're more likely to develop illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease or cancer would trigger extreme anxiety, or would result in increased use of unnecessary and expensive medical tests.

The Early Show Bobby Flay. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Michael Lewis; Todd Bridges; Jason Priestley; Bethenny Frankel; Jeff Daniels. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC Live With Regis and Kelly Jennifer Aniston; The Script performs. (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View Jessica Simpson. (N) 10 a.m. KABC The Doctors Liz Vaccariello, editor in chief of Prevention magazine, joins the doctors to discuss home remedies for common ailments; secrets for youthful skin; curing sore muscles.

The dying woman looked up at her physician. "What do you believe?" The question unsettled Dr. Francis Collins. For days, he had watched the elderly woman serenely endure the pain of a failing heart, certain she was leaving this world for a better one. She talked to him often of her faith. He listened with bemusement. He was a man of science; he had earned a PhD in physical chemistry at Yale and was completing his medical degree with bedside training at a North Carolina hospital.

Everybody has a particular way of entering a room. Francis Collins' is to come in quietly behind controversial figures. In 1992, Collins took charge of the publicly led Human Genome Project after James D. Watson, the voluble co-discoverer of DNA's structure, quit in a spat with his government superiors. He was pushed farther into the limelight when J. Craig Venter, the mercurial president of Celera Genomics, announced his determination to beat Collins' team to cracking the genetic code.

Considering that he's the director of the federal agency that invests more than $30 billion in medical research each year, it may not be surprising that Dr. Francis Collins was on the Sony lot in Culver City last week for the telecast of "Stand Up to Cancer," a star-studded gala that aired live on more than a dozen TV networks and garnered more than $80 million in pledges to fund cancer research. But perhaps few viewers expected to see the head of the National Institutes of Health jamming onstage with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Kris Kristofferson, Aaron Neville and the Wilson sisters of Heart.

Dr. Francis S. Collins, co-discoverer of the cystic fibrosis gene, has been selected to become director of the National Center for Human Genome Research, sources said Thursday. Collins, 42, a professor at the University of Michigan, is to take over directing the genetic center early next year, according to sources close to the leadership at the National Institutes of Health. Johanna Schneider, spokeswoman in the office of NIH Director Dr. Bernadine Healy, declined to comment on the report.

The Early Show Bobby Flay. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Michael Lewis; Todd Bridges; Jason Priestley; Bethenny Frankel; Jeff Daniels. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC Live With Regis and Kelly Jennifer Aniston; The Script performs. (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View Jessica Simpson. (N) 10 a.m. KABC The Doctors Liz Vaccariello, editor in chief of Prevention magazine, joins the doctors to discuss home remedies for common ailments; secrets for youthful skin; curing sore muscles.

Dr. Francis S. Collins, the geneticist who discovered the causes of half a dozen diseases, oversaw the government's efforts to map the human genome and wrote a now-famous book presenting scientific evidence for a belief in God, will be nominated to head the National Institutes of Health, the White House confirmed Wednesday. "My administration is committed to promoting scientific integrity and pioneering scientific research, and I am confident that Dr.

Francis S. Collins, the scientist who led the U.S. government drive to map the human genetic code, is the leading candidate to run the National Institutes of Health, a source familiar with the selection process said. Screening for Collins, 59, is in the final stages, said the source. Collins would take over an agency that President Obama has made key to his plans for reviving the U.S. economy and overhauling healthcare.

The dying woman looked up at her physician. "What do you believe?" The question unsettled Dr. Francis Collins. For days, he had watched the elderly woman serenely endure the pain of a failing heart, certain she was leaving this world for a better one. She talked to him often of her faith. He listened with bemusement. He was a man of science; he had earned a PhD in physical chemistry at Yale and was completing his medical degree with bedside training at a North Carolina hospital.

Everybody has a particular way of entering a room. Francis Collins' is to come in quietly behind controversial figures. In 1992, Collins took charge of the publicly led Human Genome Project after James D. Watson, the voluble co-discoverer of DNA's structure, quit in a spat with his government superiors. He was pushed farther into the limelight when J. Craig Venter, the mercurial president of Celera Genomics, announced his determination to beat Collins' team to cracking the genetic code.

With the president preparing to unveil his final budget proposal before the November election, the Obama administration announced plans Tuesday to dramatically boost funding for research into Alzheimer's disease. Administration officials said the president would propose an additional $80 million in research funding next year, up from about $450 million this year. The president will also call for another $26 million in funding to help support family and others who care for Americans suffering from the disease.

A controversial plan to resume biomedical testing on semiretired, government-owned research chimpanzees living in Alamogordo, N.M., has been put on hold after the intervention of New Mexico politicians and a trio of U.S. senators. The National Institutes of Health announced this week that it would keep the 186 chimpanzees at the Alamogordo Primate Facility instead of transferring them to a San Antonio research center while the National Academy of Sciences determines whether chimps are still needed in biomedical research.