for those interested in learning more about NIH Director Francis Collins, the current (or 1 wk past) New Yorker magazine did a big article on him.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/09/06/100906fa_fact_boyer
Hi Rrrr, thanks for posting this exciting news and for directing us to this great article about the life and work of Francis Collins. Count me in for those thrilled about Dr. Collins' opening of the conference tomorrow. :victory:
A few years ago I read his fascinating book "Language of God" and was introduced to the world of genomics and the future of medicine (the appendix in that book alone is worth the read!). I didn't realize he had written a follow-up called "Language of Life" which apparently explores this topic further.
Can you imagine if he gets interested in XMRV and solving this family of diseases?
The New Yorker article you found has several great quotes that capture what sets Francis Collins apart from most people. My impression of him is that he has a brilliant mind combined with a rare compassion, and is driven to find answers to help eliminate human suffering (reminds me of the great people at WPI, come to think of it). He doesn't back down from naysayers, and he has little patience for politics that slow down progress. Exactly the kind of charismatic superstar that is needed to turn the ME/CFS status quo on its head.
"Collins was breezing through a doctoral program in theoretical chemical physics at Yale when he realized that a professor’s life in that field was not at all what he wanted. He decided instead to become a physician, and enrolled at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine."
“If you fall ill,” he wrote, “the therapeutic options waiting for you, many derived from new understanding of the human genome, will be both more effective and less toxic than the treatments available just a few years ago.” This new “personalized medicine,” Collins says, is the big prize that has always motivated his work.
"Francis Collins’s bureaucratic skills will be severely tested in the coming struggle. Last week, his resolve was evident. “This goes beyond politics,” he declared. As he put it to me, “Patients and their families are counting on us to do everything in our power, ethically and responsibly, to learn how to transform these cells into entirely new therapies."
Read more
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/09/06/100906fa_fact_boyer?currentPage=3#ixzz0ymAlSIMz
