New NIH chief: Turn science into better care, fast

WASHINGTON — An influential geneticist who wears his faith on his sleeve says that as the new director of the National Institutes of Health he won't inject his religious convictions into medical research while pushing cutting-edge science into better bedside care.

"The NIH director needs to focus on science," Dr. Francis Collins told The Associated Press on Monday. "I have no religious agenda for the NIH."

In taking the reins of the NIH, Collins — best known for unraveling the human genetic code — said he wants a practical focus for the nation's premier research agency, that new discoveries may even help save precious health care dollars.

"We should be completely bold about pushing that agenda," Collins said — not just for U.S. health, but for global health, too.

"Here we are at a circumstance where I think our country is seeking maybe to redefine our image a bit in the world, from being the soldier to the world to being perhaps the doctor to the world. I'd like to see that happen," he said, in his first interview before greeting employees of the $30 billion agency.

The Bush administration drew criticism for allowing religious ideology to guide some decision-making, such as curbs on the NIH's funding of research involving embryonic stem cells.

Collins is well-known for finding common ground between belief in God and science, without letting his evangelical Christian beliefs influence his 15 years of research at the NIH. He led the Human Genome Project that, along with a competing private company, mapped the genetic code that he famously called "the book of human life." Remarkably for Washington, Collins' team was ahead of schedule and under budget.

The folksy Collins, who explains the complexities of DNA in language the average person can understand, at the time called it "awe-inspiring to realize that we have caught the first glimpse of our own instruction book, previously known only to God."

He left NIH last year to, among other things, work with Barack Obama's presidential campaign — and to help found the BioLogos Foundation, a Web site formed by scientists who said they want to bridge gaps between the two groups. Collins, 59, said he resigned from the Web site the day before assuming his new job, but was proud of its work.

"I do think the current battle that's going on in our culture between extreme voices is not a productive one," he said. "The chance to play some kind of useful role in that conversation by pointing out the potential harmony was something that seemed to be making some inroads."