1999.12.16: Farewell to Dr. Varmus, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

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REMARKS BY: DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PLACE: Farewell to Dr. Varmus, National Insitutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland DATE: December 16, 1999

Tribute and Farewell to Dr. Harold Varmus

Dr. Harold Varmus's creative, extraordinary leadership of NIH came at the precise moment it was needed. He was the right person at the right time. In my experience, the appointment of one individual usually doesn't make a huge difference. But this time it did.

At the end of World War II Harry Truman wrote: "Individuals make history and not the other way around. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better."

Harold's tenure at NIH has been absolutely crucial. And when the legacy of this Administration is fully absorbed, I predict that his commitment to quality, and to excellence in science, will turn out to be one of the definitive landmarks of the Clinton Administration - indeed of the last decade of this century.

The fact is that Harold's most lasting contribution probably won't win him another Nobel Prize. It is ultimately broader than any single achievement. We honor him for his advocacy of basic science, the kind of work that is measured not only by results, but by the sheer breadth of exploration.

We honor him for teaching policy makers a simple truth: that scientists who do basic research can never be sure where it will lead. And sometimes the most valuable results are the least expected. We honor him for helping NIH to rethink and broaden clinical research . . . to start to create a seamless system stretching from the lab to the patient . . . that improves all our health. And we honor him for strengthening our efforts to attack diseases that effect all the world's peoples.

Harold Varmus has championed basic and clinical research with such success that he has literally revolutionized the value of research, which will influence science policy and resources for decades to come.

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