December 3, 1999

Search for a New Leader of NIH Focuses on the Short Term

Wanted: accomplished scientist for prestigious, well-paying government job in Bethesda, Md. Must be willing to consider short-term hitch.

Finding candidates who fit that bill is the challenge confronting Clinton Administration officials who are trying to pick a new director for the National Institutes of Health to succeed Harold E. Varmus, whose resignation will be effective at the end of December.

Some observers believe the Administration may decide to