The Senate voted 62-36 on Nov. 7 to confirm Monica Bertagnolli, MD, as director of the National Institutes of Health, with support from the AAMC. A total of 13 Republicans joined nearly every Democrat and two Independents in voting to approve the nomination, which the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee had advanced two weeks earlier [refer to Washington Highlights, Oct. 27].
Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) urged her colleagues during the floor debate to support the nomination, noting, “She has the experience in medicine, research, and management for this role, and most importantly, she has a deep understanding of what the NIH’s work means for families in this country who are counting on medical breakthroughs.”