Francis Collins

Francis Collins is, to me, a towering figure who made genetics feel humane. Born in Staunton, Virginia in 1950, he led the Human Genome Project, the audacious effort to read our entire DNA, and later guided the National Institutes of Health through three presidencies. His shelf of honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science, barely captures his impact. What I respect most is how he paired rigorous science with thoughtful engagement on faith and ethics, refusing to treat them as enemies. People like Collins are why science never feels cold to me; his blend of intellect and warmth is genuinely rare.

Name (English)

Francis Collins

Name (Japanese)

フランシス・コリンズ

Reading

ふらんしす・こりんず

Born

April 14, 1950 (age 76)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aries / Tiger

Origin

Staunton, Virginia, United States

Occupation

geneticist / physician / author / physicist / chemist

High school

Staunton High School

University

University of Virginia

Awards & achievements

• 2007 Presidential Medal of Freedom
• 2001 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research
• Arthur S. Flemming Award
• 2002 Canada Gairdner International Award
• 2001 AMA Scientific Achievement Award
• 2008 National Medal of Science
• 2010 Albany Medical Center Prize
• 1992 Dickson Prize in Medicine

• Official sitehttp://www.nih.gov/about/director/index.htm
• Xhttps://x.com/NIHDirector
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis%20Collins
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BA
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q336658

Tags

• Virginia
• geneticist
• physician
• author

Last updated

2026-06-20

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.