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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has appointed Raynard S.
Kington, MBA, MD, PhD, as the new director of NIH's Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR).
Kington, who took the post on Oct. 8, is the office's second director, succeeding Norman B. Anderson, PhD, who left the position for Harvard University's School of Public Health last April. Kington was previously director of the Division of Health Examination Statistics and Director of the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The biggest challenge for Raynard is creating and implementing a vision for the future of the office--one that builds upon and capitalizes on its status as a viable and important part of the NIH landscape," says Anderson. "Because it has no portfolio of grants or a specific set of responsibilities, [OBSSR] has to be constantly vigilant to identify ways of advancing and advocating for behavioral and social science funding."
In a memo to institute directors and senior staff, NIH acting director Ruth L. Kirschstein, MD, wrote that Kington's "broad medical, scientific, and administrative background will serve him well as he directs OBSSR in exploring the role of behavior, lifestyle and social factors in health promotion and disease prevention."
--S. CARPENTER
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