Francis Collins

Francis Collins directed the Human Genome Project to completion and as NIH Director launched the Precision Medicine Initiative, creating the framework for applying genomic and multi-omic data to individualized cancer treatment. His early career discoveries of disease genes including those for cystic fibrosis and neurofibromatosis established the positional cloning approach subsequently applied to cancer gene discovery. His leadership in translating genomics from research to clinical practice has been essential for the implementation of precision oncology.