CNN —President Joe Biden will nominate Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, who currently leads the National Cancer Institute, to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health, the White House announced on Monday. Biden called Bertagnolli “a world-class physician-scientist whose vision and leadership will ensure NIH continues to be an engine of innovation to improve the health of the American people,” in a statement Monday. She would lead the country’s medical research agency, overseeing 27 research institutes and centers focused on different areas of medical research, such as cancer, the human genome, as well as allergy and infectious diseases. The nomination to lead NIH marks a fast ascent within the Biden administration for Bertagnolli. In this August 2022 photo, Monica Bertagnolli, newly appointed director of the National Cancer Institute, stands for recognition during remarks by President Joe Biden.

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