Trump says he’s keeping Dr. Francis Collins as NIH director

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says he’s keeping Dr. Francis Collins as director of the National Institutes of Health.

Collins is a pioneer in the field of genetics who has directed the NIH since August 2009, after successfully leading the nation’s effort to map the human genome. He was among several dozen Obama administration officials who Trump aides had asked to stay in their jobs — at least temporarily — for the purpose of continuity.

Trump made the announcement about Collins on Tuesday.

The NIH is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services and is made up of 27 different institutes and centres. It’s also known as the nation’s medical research agency.

Trump has proposed cutting the overall NIH budget from $31.8 billion to $26 billion.