Thomas R. Insel, M.D.

In December 2011, Thomas R. Insel, MD was appointed as Acting Director for a new NIH Center, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The mission of NCATS is to catalyze the generation of innovative methods and technologies that will enhance the development, testing, and implementation of diagnostics and therapeutics across a wide range of human diseases and conditions. Currently, many costly, time-consuming bottlenecks exist in the translational pipeline. Working in partnership with the public and private sectors, the Center will develop innovative ways to reduce, remove or bypass these bottlenecks. This will speed the delivery of new drugs, diagnostics and medical devices to patients.

Dr. Insel also serves as Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the component of the National Institutes of Health charged with generating the knowledge needed to understand, treat, and prevent mental disorders. His tenure at NIMH has been distinguished by groundbreaking findings in the areas of practical clinical trials, autism research, and the role of genetics in mental illnesses.

Dr. Insel has served on numerous academic, scientific, and professional committees and boards. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine, a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and is a recipient of several awards, including the Outstanding Service Award from the U.S. Public Health Service and the 2010 La Fondation IPSEN Neuronal Plasticity Prize. Dr. Insel graduated from the combined B.A.-M.D. program at Boston University in 1974. He did his internship at Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and his residency at the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute at the University of California, San Francisco.

Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request for the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, March 20, 2012