Next NIH director
Executive Summary
William Danforth, Chancellor of Washington University, is rumored at HHS and on Capitol Hill to have been chosen for the position. Rep. Pursell (R-Mich.) commented on the House floor during discussion of the FY 1991 HHS appropriations bill that he "[understood] that Mr. Danforth has agreed to take that position [of NIH director]." Danforth, 63, has been Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis since 1971. He has repeatedly denied an interest in the NIH post.