Director's Messages

NCATS Acting Director Dr. Joni Rutter reflects on NCATS’ 10th anniversary and her vision for developing more treatments for all people more quickly.

Dr. Joni Rutter reflects on NCATS’ mission ahead of the Center’s 10-year anniversary and discusses the proposed new medical research agency, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

Joni L. Rutter, Ph.D., reflects on the accomplishments of NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., who announced his plans to step down from his position at the end of the year.

NCATS will collaborate with federal agencies, academic researchers and the private sector in the Antiviral Program for Pandemics and apply its proficiency in drug discovery and development to accelerate antiviral development.

Joni L. Rutter, Ph.D., reflects on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and what comes next. She highlights NCATS’ efforts to combat the pandemic and how they can be applied to all diseases.

Christopher P. Austin, M.D., reflects on his 10 years as NCATS director in his last message. He highlights some of NCATS’ accomplishments since the Center was created a decade ago.

Christopher P. Austin, M.D., will step down as NCATS director on April 15, 2021. Deputy Director Joni L. Rutter, Ph.D., will serve as acting director while a national search for the new NCATS director is underway.

NCATS’ translational teams from data science and informatics are transforming large quantities of data into actionable information.

NCATS is committed to raising awareness about rare diseases and identifying treatments to address this urgent public health issue. The annual Rare Disease Day at NIH event held this year on March 1, offers an opportunity to advance this mission.

NCATS quickly pivoted many of its existing platforms, technologies and programs to address COVID-19 in March. The translational science approaches to COVID-19 similarly can speed solutions for many diseases and future pandemics.