STAT+: NIH chief voices support for Nora Volkow, head of drug addiction research institute

The director of the National Institutes of Health gave a ringing endorsement to the nation’s top addiction researcher, Nora Volkow, this week in his first public remarks on the drug overdose crisis — a potential signal that her position as leader of the National Institute on Drug Abuse is, at least for now, secure. 

Speaking at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville, Tenn., this week, the NIH’s newly installed director, Jay Bhattacharya, told the audience that he was “proud” of her and NIDA’s work. 

While the Trump administration has never specifically called Volkow’s credentials or job security into question, Bhattacharya’s remarks come at a time of deep uncertainty for the agency.  

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