Geneticist & Physician
Francis Collins is widely know for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and leadership of the Human Genome Project, an international project that culminated in April 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book. Known for his consistent emphasis on the importance of ethical and legal issues in genetics, Collins leads the effort to ensure that this new trove of sequence data would be translated into tools for the advancement of biological knowledge and improvement of human health.
Collins served as Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health from 1993-2008. In addition to his achievements as the NHGRI director, Collins’ laboratory discovered a number of important genes, including those responsible for cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis, Huntington's disease and most recently, genes for adult onset diabetes and the gene that causes Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a dramatic form of premature aging. Collins received a B.S. from the University of Virginia, a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Yale University, and an M.D. from the University of North Carolina. He has been elected to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2007. Author of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, Collins is currently writing a book on personalized medicine.