OHRP Announces Retirement of Director Menikoff; ORI, NIH Top Jobs Still Vacant
According to a notice sent to the agency’s email list on Jan. 4, Jerry Menikoff, director of the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), retired; Deputy Director Julie Kaneshiro has been acting director since Jan. 1. The news comes as a surprise and is not posted on OHRP’s website. At a recent meeting, Kaneshiro revealed that OHRP had 12 vacant positions out of 32 but did not mention Menikoff’s. On the day of the announcement, Menikoff was still listed as director on the OHRP website. OHRP did not say when he retired.
The email praised Menikoff for his “exemplary and meaningful leadership,” adding that he “had a direct impact on providing leadership in the protection of subjects by offering clarification and guidance, developing educational programs and materials, and maintaining regulatory oversight. Among his many achievements during his tenure at OHRP was his leadership of the revisions to the Common Rule. Dr. Menikoff’s efforts led to regulatory changes that strengthen informed consent and promote the trustworthiness of the research enterprise.” However, Menikoff’s tenure was marked by conflicts with NIH over a finding of noncompliance and was characterized by criticism over lack of enforcement actions. For example, the number of determination letters issued dwindled from several dozen per year when he began to zero issued in 2021. Menikoff’s departure means the two most important federal research oversight agencies now lack leadership—as does NIH. The HHS Office of Research Integrity (ORI) has not had a director since at least January 2021. NIH has not had a permanent director since Francis Collins stepped down a year ago.
