We Have to Fight Back’: Bush NIH Dir Dr. Zerhouni on Challengers

Dr. Elias Zerhouni, who used to lead the National Institutes of Health, has tough words for those trying to change some of its processes. He’s not in favor of a proposed rule that would switch who decides which federal grants get funded.

“What’s the intent here? What’s the good that will come out of this? Are political appointees better at deciding what science should be? I will tell you, it’s a resounding no,” Zerhouni says as he defends the current process that empowers government employees to make funding choices.

He’s also worried about the impact of immigration restrictions on U.S. medical innovation.  

Zerhouni’s book is titled “Disease Knows No Politics,” and he shares his perspective with hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter on location at Aspen Ideas: Health. Zerhouni also takes us back to the George W. Bush administration and how he successfully navigated the politics and science of the embryonic stem cell debate.