Leaving NCCIH—and Whole Person Health Research—in Good Hands

After seven years as director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), I will be retiring from my position on November 30, 2025. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role and for how deeply rewarding it has been.

I came to NCCIH with a mission to drive positive change in how we craft research questions that impact people’s ability to lead healthy lives. What I saw was an opportunity—and a pressing need—to advance scientific investigation into whole person health. By charting new understanding of how different domains of health—physiology, psychology, environment—interconnect and impact people across the bidirectional continuum between health and illness, I felt we could open new doors to improve the health of Americans and reduce the crushing burden of chronic disease in the United States.

Over my years as director, it has been thrilling to see research on whole person health take firm root as a cohesive mission for NCCIH. To realize the full vision of whole person health, it was also essential to bring the concept to all of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Far beyond my original aspirations, the framework has been embraced by leaders across NIH and has coalesced as a strategic force embedded within the organization’s efforts. In numerous NIH collaborations, research leaders have validated the work and underscored the importance of breaking down silos to unlock a more robust understanding of health—not just disease.

I’m deeply proud of the many NCCIH-led initiatives during my tenure that NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya acknowledged in his message. Each one has moved the field forward in significant ways. This progress is most recently exemplified in the launch of the Whole Person Reference Physiome and Coordination Center, a truly transformative project to map healthy human physiology across all organs and systems. Spearheaded by NCCIH, the initiative came together with the support of 20 Institutes, Centers, and Offices, illustrating that whole person health has found a home not just at NCCIH, but within NIH as a whole.

This and other important milestones leave me excited about the future of NCCIH and its growing collaborations across NIH. I am confident that the work will continue in excellent hands under the leadership of Dr. David Shurtleff as acting director of NCCIH, Dr. Wendy Weber as acting deputy director of NCCIH, and Dr. Wen Chen as acting director of the NCCIH Division of Extramural Research, and with the support of an incredibly talented and dedicated team. Together, NCCIH will continue to drive the momentum and collaboration needed for discovery and progress.

My work at NCCIH was built on the accomplishments of those who came before me, including Dr. Stephen E. Straus, who served as the first director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), as it was originally named, and Dr. Josephine P. Briggs, who led the transition of NCCAM to NCCIH. Each fostered important steps forward in solving methodological challenges and deepening the scientific rigor of basic, mechanistic, and clinical research on complementary and integrative health approaches to address questions about the real-world health burdens faced by Americans.

Following my retirement from NCCIH, I look forward to returning to where my academic career began, the University of Vermont. I will be joining the team there to help build a research program at the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UVM. I’m also excited to take on an advisory role at the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health. I will be continuing my laboratory research as principal investigator at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and serve as a Special Volunteer at NCCIH for one year after my retirement. Most importantly, my decision to retire from Federal Service will allow me to be closer to my Vermont home and spend time with my mother, husband, children, and grandchildren.

It has truly been my honor to serve as NCCIH director and contribute to the important body of research that has been built since the Center was founded in 1998. As we drive toward deeper knowledge about whole person health, I know that the questions that researchers are answering will help equip more people to live healthier lives.