Lawrence Tabak, DDS, PhD, has been named acting director of the National Institutes of Health, effective Dec. 20.
The appointment comes after current NIH director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, announced in October that he would step down from his position Dec. 19.
Dr. Tabak has served as the organization's principal deputy director and deputy ethics counselor since 2010. Previously, he served 10 years as director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
He received his dental degree from Columbia University in New York City and his doctorate from the University of Buffalo (N.Y.).