Dr. Gary H. Gibbons joins the NHLBI as Institute director

Dr. Gary H. Gibbons - August 13, 2012

I am honored and pleased to officially join the NHLBI today as director. It is truly humbling to lead an institute with such a respected legacy of excellence in public service. I look forward to both the challenges and the opportunities ahead of us as I take on this new leadership role within the NHLBI community.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Susan Shurin for her outstanding leadership as acting director over the past two and a half years. She has resumed her role as deputy director of the Institute, and I know she will continue to be an invaluable resource for the NHLBI community.

In the months ahead, I am looking forward to the opportunity to engage the extended NHLBI community in an ongoing conversation about our collective future. As a longstanding member of the extramural community, I have become intimately familiar with the NHLBI's mission and portfolio of programs. I was honored to be appointed to the NHLBI Board of Extramural Experts by Claude Lenfant and serve on the Institute's Advisory Council. I have been engaged in NHLBI programs in a variety of roles, including: a grantee, an advisor, a mentor, and a peer reviewer. I have also gained insights from a variety of different perspectives as a researcher, a clinician, a patient, the parent of a patient, an advisor to patient advocacy groups, a research participant, and a member of a community concerned about its health status. My breadth of experience as a clinician-scientist and advisor has reinforced my appreciation of the value of sustaining the NHLBI's balanced portfolio of basic, clinical, translational, and population research in heart, lung, blood, and sleep.

It is my hope that all of us can work toward a shared vision that engages our communities and builds upon the enduring principles that have set a standard of excellence in the NHLBI. I am anxious to tap into our core stakeholders' ideas and collective wisdom about the future of our community. After all, many of the NHLBI community's greatest achievements would not have been possible without extraordinary teamwork and collaborative synergies.

Over the course of the next year I will be meeting and hearing from you in a variety of forums for dialogue that will be established.

I am looking forward to working with all of you as we shape the future of the NHLBI and advance our mission to pursue discovery science that promotes improvements in the health of all communities in our nation and around the world.

Best regards,
Gary