Harold E. Varmus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harold E. Varmus
|
|
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Varmus in 2009
|
|
| 14th Director of the National Cancer Institute | |
| In office 2010–2015 |
|
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | John E. Niederhuber |
| Succeeded by | Douglas R. Lowy (Acting) Norman Sharpless |
| 14th Director of the National Institutes of Health | |
| In office November 23, 1993 – December 31, 1999 |
|
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Bernadine Healy |
| Succeeded by | Elias Zerhouni |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Harold Eliot Varmus
December 18, 1939 Oceanside, New York, U.S |
| Spouse |
Constance Louise Casey
(m. 1969) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater |
|
| Known for |
|
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Cancer biology |
| Institutions |
|
| Doctoral students | Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo Tyler Jacks |
Harold Eliot Varmus (born December 18, 1939) is an American scientist who won the Nobel Prize. Today, he is a professor at Weill Cornell Medicine and works with the New York Genome Center.
He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1989 with J. Michael Bishop. They discovered how certain genes, called oncogenes, can cause cancer. These genes come from normal cells but can be changed by viruses.
Harold Varmus also led important health organizations. He was the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 1993 to 1999. Later, President Barack Obama chose him to lead the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 2010 to 2015.
Contents
Harold Varmus's Early Life and School
Harold Varmus was born on December 18, 1939, in Oceanside, New York. His parents were Beatrice, a social worker, and Frank Varmus, a doctor.
After finishing high school in 1957, he went to Amherst College. He first wanted to be a doctor like his dad. But he ended up studying English literature and got a bachelor's degree.
He then earned a master's degree in English from Harvard University in 1962. After that, he changed his mind again and decided to go to medical school. He joined the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
During his medical studies, he worked at a hospital in Bareilly, India, and at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. In 1968, he joined the Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This was an alternative to serving in the Vietnam War. At the NIH, he started doing research on how bacterial genes work.
Discoveries in Cancer Research
In 1970, Harold Varmus began working with J. Michael Bishop at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He became a professor there in 1972.
For many years, Varmus and Bishop studied how retroviruses cause cancer in animals. Their most famous discovery was finding a gene in normal cells called c-Src. This gene was very similar to a gene found in a cancer-causing virus called Rous sarcoma virus.
Their discovery showed that cancer-causing genes (called oncogenes) can come from normal genes in our own bodies. These normal genes are called proto-oncogenes. When proto-oncogenes get changed or mutated, they can lead to cancer. This important finding helped scientists understand many human cancers.
Varmus also made other key discoveries:
- He found out how retroviral DNA copies itself and fits into our chromosomes.
- He discovered the Proto-oncogene Wnt-1 with Roel Nusse.
- He helped explain how the hepatitis B virus copies itself.
- He found a way that retroviruses make their proteins (with Tyler Jacks).
- He helped create many mouse models to study human cancers.
Even when he was leading big organizations like the NIH and NCI, Varmus continued to do or guide laboratory research.
Harold Varmus's Government Roles
After winning the Nobel Prize, Varmus became more involved in science policy. He supported Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992.
Leading the National Institutes of Health
.jpg)
In 1993, President Bill Clinton chose Varmus to be the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH is a very important agency that funds medical research.
During his time as NIH director (1993-1999), Varmus helped almost double the agency's budget. He also appointed excellent scientists to lead different institutes within the NIH. He worked well with Congress and the President.
He was a leader in research on AIDS and other diseases. He also helped set policies for important new areas like stem cell research and gene therapy. Varmus also promoted global health research, especially for diseases like malaria.
Between Leadership Roles
After leaving the NIH, Varmus supported Al Gore and John Kerry in their presidential campaigns. He also spoke out about science policies during the George W. Bush presidency. However, he also praised Bush's plan to fight AIDS globally, called PEPFAR.
In 2008, Varmus supported Barack Obama for president. After Obama was elected, Varmus was chosen to co-chair the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). He later left this role to become the director of the National Cancer Institute.
Leading the National Cancer Institute
On July 12, 2010, President Obama appointed Harold Varmus as the 14th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This made him the first person to lead a specific NIH institute after leading the entire NIH.
Even though budgets were tight, Varmus started new centers for cancer genomics and global health at the NCI. He also created new grant programs for "outstanding investigators" and for answering "Provocative Questions" in cancer research.
He resigned from the NCI on March 31, 2015. He returned to New York City to become a professor at Weill Cornell Medicine and work with the New York Genome Center.
Leading Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
.jpg)
After leaving the NIH in 1999, Varmus became the president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City. He held this position for ten and a half years.
At MSKCC, he helped grow the research staff. He also oversaw the building of a large new laboratory and started a new graduate school for cancer biology. He also managed many renovations of patient care facilities.
Varmus continued to run his own lab and teach while leading MSKCC. He left MSKCC on June 30, 2010, just before becoming the NCI director.
Making Science Papers Easier to Find
Near the end of his time as NIH director, Varmus became a strong supporter of using the Internet to make scientific papers more accessible.
He helped create PubMed Central, a public online library of full scientific reports. In 2007, Congress made it a rule that all research funded by the NIH must be available on PubMed Central within a year of being published.
Varmus also helped start the Public Library of Science (PLOS). This is a non-profit group that publishes scientific journals online for free. This helps more people read and learn from scientific discoveries.
Helping Others and Giving Advice
Harold Varmus often advises the U.S. government, foundations, universities, and companies. He is part of many important groups. For example, he advises the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on global health. He also chairs the World Health Organization's Science Council.
Varmus has spoken about the high cost of many modern cancer drugs. He believes these costs make it hard for people to get the treatment they need. He supports making genetic testing for cancers a routine part of care. This would help doctors choose the best treatments.
He hopes that researchers will soon study how cancer starts and how it spreads (called metastasic cancers).
Awards and Special Honors
Harold Varmus has received many awards for his scientific work:
- 1975: Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1982: Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
- 1984: Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Prize
- 1989: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 1990: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
- 1994: Elected to the American Philosophical Society
- 2002: Novartis-Drew Award
- 2005: Elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS)
- 2011: Double Helix Medal
- 2012: Glenn T. Seaborg Medal
Personal Life
Harold Varmus married Constance Louise Casey in 1969. She is a journalist and science writer. They live in New York City and have two sons.
Their son Jacob is a jazz trumpet player and composer. Their son Christopher is a social worker. Harold and Jacob Varmus have performed special "Genes and Jazz" concerts. They have done these at museums like the Guggenheim and Smithsonian.
See also
In Spanish: Harold E. Varmus para niños
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
