NIH Head Rejects Proposed NIDA, NIAAA Merger

Circle Connections: Mergers & Acquisitions Structure and function usually go hand in hand, but not always when it comes to the organizational chart at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In September 2010, the NIH's Scientific Management Review Board voted 12-3 to merge the two institutes that study substance abuse. However, NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., last month reversed that decision, opting for "functional integration" rather than "structural reorganization" as the best way to pursue research into substance use and addictions. "The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism . . .