A Leader in Health Policy, Genetics, and Faith: Conversation with Dr. Francis Collins
On October 15, 2025, the Conversations in Health: Global to Local class, along with the broader Georgetown community, had the honor of hearing from Francis Collins, Ph.D., M.D. Dr. Collins was able to share his insight on how he developed into one of the top voices in public health in the United States whilst keeping his faith a top priority.
Dr. Collins’ storytelling powers shone through as he discussed his childhood on a farm in Shenandoah Valley, his education and research in the sciences, and his eventual experiences as the director of both the Human Genome Project and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Growing up on a farm, Dr. Collins smiled as he remarked on bathing in horse troughs and learning from a revolving door of aspiring musicians in search of advice from Dr. Collins’ father. His upbringing cultivated his passion for creativity, a necessary trait as a scientific researcher and communicator, along with his love of the guitar. Dr. Collins progressed into a rich education in chemistry, yet as a Ph.D. candidate at Yale University, he found himself disconnected from the human aspect of science. A 2:00 a.m. conversation with a colleague about the complexity of DNA gave Dr. Collins the answer to his questions, prompting him to then devote his career to genetics research and public health. Along his journey, he found solace in his newfound Christian faith, allowing him to differentiate between objective truths and inherent faith.
In 1993, Dr. Collins began the project of defying the “impossible,” to quote his colleagues, through attempting and eventually succeeding at finalizing the Human Genome Project. Dr. Collins had a humble nature when discussing the amazing achievement, but was proud in explaining that upon completion, the project was “under budget and two years ahead of schedule.” He encouraged blossoming scientists not to avoid scientific research when it may seem unfeasible, and gave his respect to current innovative scientists such as those working on the Brain Initiative.
After his recognition as a renowned scientist and “gene hunter,” Dr. Collins served as the director of the NIH throughout the terms of presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joseph Biden. When remarking on his time in this position, Dr. Collins explains that his spiritual disciplines kept him grounded and connected to the society he was representing. He also noted the distrust for science that began to thrive during his tenure. Dr. Collins explained that trust needs to be rebuilt through more transparency in health communication; he specifically cited the lack of transparency as a main failure of the United States government during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for more caveats in health policy messaging through the NIH.
Dr. Collins highlighted the importance of authenticity in science, as he believes that additional authenticity could have diminished the number of deaths due to misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. He ended the discussion with the message of “be unashamed of your excitement,” emphasizing how this act could bridge the divide in the current political and scientific landscape. The class was honored to hear Dr. Collins speak, and we will take his lessons and stories with us into our future careers.
Ella Norwitt (H’26) is an undergraduate student majoring in biology at Georgetown University.