Dr. Lyric Jorgenson named NIH Associate Director for Science Policy

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Lyric A. Jorgenson, Ph.D., as the NIH Associate Director for Science Policy and the Director of the NIH Office of Science Policy (OSP). Dr. Jorgenson has been serving in this role in an acting capacity since April 26, 2021. She will begin her official tenure on December 17, 2023. As director of NIH’s principal policy office, she will provide executive leadership to ensure that NIH policies evolve in tandem with rapidly advancing science and technology.

During Dr. Jorgenson’s tenure as acting director, she led key NIH policy initiatives to transform clinical research to meet health challenges, promote and protect the security of the biomedical research enterprise, and maximize responsible data sharing to translate research into products that improve the health of all Americans. She also spearheaded key initiatives to re-envision approaches for engaging the public in policymaking, ensuring inclusion and equity in NIH policies, and catalyzing investments in novel alternative methods in biomedical research. 

Between 2017-2021, Dr. Jorgenson served as the deputy director of OSP. Prior to that she served as the Deputy Executive Director of the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force in the Office of the Vice President in the Obama administration, where she developed a cancer roadmap for the nation and advised the Vice President on strategies and investments to accelerate progress in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. She also led the development of many White House-initiated policy processes, including developing new NIH policies to bolster scientific integrity, public access to research publications, and biosecurity and biosafety practices.

Dr. Jorgenson first joined NIH as an AAAS Science and Technology Fellow and throughout her tenure she has played a leading role in the development of high-impact science and policy initiatives such as the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative and the establishment of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Denison University and a doctorate degree from the Graduate Program for Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship with the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Jorgenson.

Monica Bertagnolli, M.D.
Director, National Institutes of Health