Eric D. Green, M.D., Ph.D., has been a pivotal leader and major contributor of the genomics research community since the inception of the field in 1987. As part of the Human Genome Project, he played a central role in the mapping and sequencing of the human genome and has since served as an international genomics leader. 

NHGRI Leadership 

Dr. Green was a prominent member of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) for over three decades. Recruited to the Institute in 1994, he later served as NHGRI’s Scientific Director (2002-2009), Chief of the NHGRI Genome Technology Branch (1996-2009), and Founding Director of the NIH Intramural Sequencing Center (1997-2009). From 2009 to 2025, Dr. Green served as the third NHGRI Director, appointed by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins in 2009 during the first administration of President Barack Obama.  

As the NHGRI Director for 15-plus years, Dr. Green led a government agency with an annual budget of greater than $650 million and staff of nearly 640 (in 2024-2025). Under his stewardship, the Institute completed two cycles of strategic planning to ensure that its research investments in genomics effectively advance human health. The first effort yielded the highly cited 2011 NHGRI strategic vision, “Charting a course for genomic medicine from base pairs to bedside” (Nature 470:204-213, 2011); the second yielded the 2020 paper “Strategic vision for improving human health at The Forefront of Genomics” (Nature 586:683-692, 2020). These two strategic planning processes guided a major expansion of NHGRI’s research portfolio, highlights of which included the design and launch of major new programs to unravel the functional complexities of the human genome, to catalyze the growth of genomic data science, to accelerate the application of genomics to medical care, and to enhance the building of a robust genomics workforce for the future. With the rapidly expanding scope of genomics research, Dr. Green also led NHGRI’s close coordination with other NIH components, agencies, and organizations. 

Research Career 

Following his work on the Human Genome Project, Dr. Green remained a pioneer in efforts to map, sequence, and understand mammalian genomes. These efforts blossomed into a highly productive program in comparative genomics that provided important insights about genome structure, function, and evolution. His laboratory also pursued human genetics studies and identified and characterized several human disease genes, including those implicated in certain forms of hereditary deafness, vascular disease and peripheral neuropathy. Throughout his career, Dr. Green has authored and co-authored over 395 scientific publications. 

Education and Training 

Dr. Green received his B.S. degree in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981 and his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Washington University in 1987. Coincidentally, 1987 was the same year that the word “genomics” was coined. During residency training in clinical pathology (laboratory medicine), Dr. Green worked in the laboratory of Dr. Maynard Olson, where he launched his career in genomics. As a physician, he was drawn to genomics because of the potential of using patients’ genomic information for improving their medical care and management. Prior to joining NHGRI in 1994, he was an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Genetics as well as a Co-Investigator in the Human Genome Center at Washington University from 1992-1994.  

Honors and Awards 

Dr. Green has earned the following honors and awards: 

• Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (1989-1990) 

• Lucille P. Markey Scholar Award in Biomedical Science (1990-1994) 

• Induction into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (2002) 

• Induction into the Association of American Physicians (2007) 

• Cotlove Lectureship Award, Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists (2011) 

• Wallace H. Coulter Lectureship Award, American Association for Clinical Chemistry (2012) 

• Election to the National Academy of Medicine (2023) 

Current Focus 

Following his greater than three decades of public service as a government researcher and leader, Dr. Green retired from federal service and is now seeking opportunities to use his extensive experience in leading government-funded research programs to foster the expansion of genomics in academia, industry, healthcare, and everyday life. He is particularly interested in utilizing his expertise and experience in genomic medicine research and implementation for strategic leadership and planning, consulting, advising, and board service.