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Francis Collins

Person

Public health leader accused of acting as a blocker regarding COVID-19 investigations.


First Mentioned

8/27/2026, 6:04:54 AM

Last Updated

9/27/2026, 4:54:24 AM

Research Retrieved

8/27/2026, 6:11:44 AM

Summary

Francis Collins is an American physician-scientist renowned for his leadership in genomics and public health. He spearheaded the Human Genome Project and previously directed the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) before serving as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from August 2009 to December 2021, under three different presidents. Collins announced his retirement from the NIH in March 2025, concluding 32 years of service. His career began with gene hunting at the University of Michigan, and he has since been recognized with prestigious awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science. Beyond his scientific achievements, Collins has authored books exploring the intersection of science, medicine, and religion, notably "The Language of God." He also founded The BioLogos Foundation, which advocates for the compatibility of Christian faith with scientific understanding, particularly evolution. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Following his departure from the NIH directorship at the end of 2021, Collins joined the Biden administration in February 2022 as Acting Science Advisor to the President. However, he has also faced criticism, with Eric Weinstein alleging that Collins, along with Anthony Fauci, contributed to a stifling of scientific dissent and narrative manipulation regarding certain research institutions and events.

Research Data
Extracted Attributes
    Francis Collins

    Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-scientist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He served as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, from 17 August 2009 to 19 December 2021, serving under three presidents. Collins announced his retirement publicly from the NIH on March 1, 2025, after 32 years of service. Before being appointed director of the NIH, Collins led the Human Genome Project and other genomics research initiatives as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the 27 institutes and centers at NIH. Before joining NHGRI, he earned a reputation as a gene hunter at the University of Michigan. He has been elected to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science. Collins has written books on science, medicine, and religion, including the New York Times bestseller The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. After leaving the directorship of NHGRI and before becoming director of the NIH, he founded and served as president of The BioLogos Foundation, which promotes discourse on the relationship between science and religion and advocates the perspective that belief in Christianity can be reconciled with acceptance of evolution and science, especially through the theistic evolution idea that the Creator brought about his plan through the processes of evolution. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Collins to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. On October 5, 2021, Collins announced that he would resign as NIH director by the end of the year. Four months later in February 2022, he joined the Cabinet of Joe Biden as Acting Science Advisor to the President, replacing Eric Lander.

    Web Search Results
    • Francis Collins

      Francis Sellers Collins ForMemRS (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-scientist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He served as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, from 17 August 2009 to 19 December 2021, serving under three presidents. Collins announced his retirement publicly from the NIH on March 1, 2025, after 32 years of service. [...] [edit] Francis Sellers Collins was born in Staunton, Virginia, the youngest of four sons of Fletcher Collins and Margaret James Collins. Raised on a small farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, Collins was home schooled until the sixth grade. He attended Robert E. Lee High School "Robert E. Lee High School (Staunton, Virginia)") in Staunton, Virginia. Through most of his high school and college years he aspired to be a chemist, and he had little interest in what he then considered the "messy" field of biology. What he referred to as his "formative education" was received at the University of Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in 1970. He went on to graduate as a Doctor of Philosophy in physical chemistry at Yale University in 1974. [...] Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia American physician-scientist (born 1950) For other people named Francis Collins, see Francis Collins (disambiguation) "Francis Collins (disambiguation)"). | Francis Collins |

    • Francis Collins | Biography, NIH, Religion, Human Genome Project, & Facts | Britannica

      Francis Collins is an American geneticist known for discovering genes causing genetic diseases. He led the National Human Genome Research Institute and contributed to the Human Genome Project, which mapped human DNA. Collins also cautioned against misuse of genetic information and explored the ethical implications of genetic research. [...] Francis Collins is an American geneticist known for his work in discovering genes that cause genetic diseases. In 1989, he announced the discovery of the gene that causes cystic fibrosis. The following year, a Collins-led team found the gene that causes neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that generates the growth of tumors. He also served as a leading researcher in a collaboration of six laboratories that in 1993 uncovered the gene that causes Huntington chorea, a neurological disease. [...] Francis Collins # Francis Collins Britannica AI Icon Francis Collins, born April 14, 1950, is an American geneticist renowned for his work on genes related to genetic diseases and for leading the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as director from 2009 to 2021. Before that, he headed the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) from 1993 to 2008, playing a key role in the Human Genome Project (HGP).

    • A Conversation with Francis Collins | Global Health Institute | Georgetown University

      Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is one of the world’s leading scientists and geneticists. He served as the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health for 12 years across three presidencies. In that role, he guided the United States’ biomedical research in everything from basic science to clinical trials, including a historic series of research partnerships addressing diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, neuroscience, precision medicine, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, he served as director of the International Human Genome Project, coordinating a consortium of laboratories in six countries to produce the first-ever complete sequence of the human DNA instruction book in 2003. Dr. Collin’s research laboratory has discovered a number of important genes, including those [...] Global Health Institute Global Health Institute : Conversations in Health # A Conversation with Francis Collins Francis Collins is a physician-geneticist whose groundbreaking work has shaped the landscape of biomedical research and public health. In this conversation, Dr. Collins will share insights from his leadership of the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the International Human Genome Project, along with his roles in collaborative research addressing global health challenges. ## Featured

    • Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.

      Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is the former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As the longest serving director of NIH — spanning 12 years and three presidencies — he oversaw the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, from basic to clinical research. Dr. Collins is a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the international Human Genome Project, which culminated in April 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book. He served as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH from 1993-2008. [...] ## Biography Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is the former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As the longest serving director of NIH — spanning 12 years and three presidencies — he oversaw the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, from basic to clinical research. Dr. Collins is a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the international Human Genome Project, which culminated in April 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book. He served as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH from 1993-2008. [...] Dr. Collins received a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Virginia, a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Yale University, and an M.D. with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to the NIH in 1993, he spent nine years on the faculty of the University of Michigan, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. He is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Collins was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2007 and the National Medal of Science in 2009.

    • Francis Collins — Founder of BioLogos, Author of Language of God - Person - BioLogos

      BioLogos - Francis Collins # Francis Collins Francis Collins is one of the world’s leading scientists and geneticists, and the founder of BioLogos, where he is now a Senior Fellow. In his early scientific career, he discovered the gene for cystic fibrosis. Then he led an international collaboration that first mapped the entire human genome. For that work he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science. In 2009 he was appointed as Director of the National Institutes of Health, where he served three presidents until 2021, including oversight of the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. [...] In celebration of his world-class scientific accomplishments and deep Christian faith, Collins was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2020. It honors individuals who are “harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it.” He joined a prestigious group of previous winners, including Mother Teresa, Francis Ayala, Charles Townes, Desmond Tutu, and Billy Graham. #### Resources by this author... If you enjoy this author, check out these resources Image Videos Francis Collins: A Testimony Image Post Francis Collins: A Good and Faithful Servant Image Videos Video: Being Human with Jane Goodall and Francis Collins Image Article Francis Collins: A worthy recipient of the prestigious Templeton Prize Image

    Location Data

    Francis Collins, Jarvis Street, Moss Park, Downtown, Toronto, Golden Horseshoe, Ontario, M5C 2H2, Canada

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    Coordinates: 43.6510310, -79.3722782

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