The Senate confirmed Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli as director of the National Institutes of Health on Tuesday.
The 62-36 bipartisan tally came after objections from Sen. Bernie Sanders, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which had approved Bertagnolli for the post Oct. 26.
Sanders had voiced concerns over Bertagnolli's ability to combat high drug prices, a signature issue for the Vermont independent.
Bertagnolli is a surgical oncologist and was serving as director of the NIH’s National Cancer Institute.
“As she has throughout her career, Dr. Bertagnolli will use her new role to advance our nation's understanding of disease and ensure that the groundbreaking research that NIH conducts will yield innovative and life-saving treatments,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “I have no doubt she will reimagine the boundaries of what is possible when it comes to what the NIH can achieve.”
Bertagnolli, who was nominated for the post by President Joe Biden on May 15, will take over for acting director Dr. Lawrence Tabak, who was leading the agency since Dr. Francis Collins left December 2021.
