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		Search Text: Home/News and Events/< Back ToAll News/Rear Admiral Richard Childs, M.D., named Scientific Director of the Division of Intramural Research at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Rear Admiral Richard Childs, M.D.
                                                        NHLBI NEWS|Statement
                                
                                Rear Admiral Richard Childs, M.D., named Scientific Director of the Division of Intramural Research at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
                                
                                                                 February 27, 2024, 9:00 AM EST
                                    Statement from Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., Director of NHLBI:I take great pleasure in announcing thatRear Admiral Richard Childs, M.D., has accepted the position of Scientific Director (SD) of theDivision of Intramural Research(DIR), effective February 7, 2024. Childs has served asNHLBI Clinical Directorsince 2013 and Acting Scientific Director since 2022.Childs is a translational physician scientist and board certified in medical oncology. HisNHLBI Transplantation Immunotherapylaboratory conducts research to develop treatments for aplastic anemia, hematological malignancies, and solid tumors and is pursuing first-in-human research in bone marrow transplantation and tumor immunotherapy.As NHLBI Clinical Director, Childs developed and operationalized a strategic plan to grow and revitalize the DIR clinical research enterprise to better support and advance the cutting-edge science of our intramural research community. Childs received his medical degree from Georgetown University Medical School. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Florida followed by fellowships in medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute and hematology at NHLBI. He was appointed a tenure-track investigator in the Hematology Branch of NHLBI and received tenure in 2006. He has performed more than 600 bone marrow stem cell transplants at NIH, identified a new way to treatmetastatic kidney cancer, holds 30 patents related to immunotherapy, and has published hundreds ofscientific papers.Childs has also been an active-duty officer in the United Stated Commissioned Corps since 1995, being promoted in 2015 to Rear Admiral and Assistant Surgeon General. He received his second star in 2020. He has been awarded the United States Meritorious Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal with Valor, the Humanitarian Service and Global Health Award, and the Assistant Secretary of Health’s Exceptional Service Medal for his dedicated service.His dedication to public service is exemplified by his involvement in numerous critical global health initiatives including leading as the chief medical officer in Monrovia, Liberia during the Ebola Crisis Response (2014), as well as commanding a COVID-19 response team in Yokohama, Japan (2020) that evacuated hundreds of COVID-19 infected/exposed Americans from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. In 2021, he oversaw the unaccompanied children crisis at the Southwest border, managing over 800 deployed officers who provided medical care and assistance to more than 50,000 children. From October 2021 to March 2022, he served as Interim Director at Commissioned Corps Headquarters, overseeing personnel, budget, operations, and COVID-related responses for more than 6,000 public health service members.As he transitions to his permanent role of Scientific Director, we recognize Childs not only for his remarkable achievements as a public health servant and physician-scientist but also for his leadership. We are extremely fortunate to have Childs carry forward our mission-driven science and public service work.
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                        # # #**About the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI):** NHLBI is the global leader in conducting and supporting research in heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders that advances scientific knowledge, improves public health, and saves lives. For more information, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov.**About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):** NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.*NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health*
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            In 2014 when the deadly Ebola virus was spreading like wildfire through parts of West Africa, Rear Admiral Richard Childs, M.D., led a team of physicians, nurses, engineers, and safety inspectors to Monrovia, Liberia to help treat the thousands of patients who had been infected. As the chief medical officer for the U.S. Public Health Service (USHPS... Back To Top Link
  

        

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