After 5 years in the position, Lindsey A. Criswell, MD, MPH, DSc, will no longer serve as the director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reportedly decided not to renew her contract, despite a multidecade career that contributed to the identification of “dozens of genes involved in autoimmune diseases,” including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus, and Sjögren disease, according to an agency article discussing Criswell’s election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2024.

Criswell is the 14th NIH institute director to have left — whether through resignation, retirement, or contract nonrenewal — since the beginning of the second Trump administration. Currently, 16 of 27 NIH institutes have vacancies in the director position.

An email Criswell sent to staff about her departure was posted on X. In the note, Criswell said she would be staying on at NIH, continuing as a researcher at the National Human Genome Research Institute. She also said that the current NIAMS Deputy Director, Anna E. Mazzucco, PhD, was named acting director.

Medscape Medical News requested confirmation from Criswell. The request was directed to NIH communications, which was unwilling to say on the record whether Criswell’s contract as NIAMS director was not renewed.

In a joint statement, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), the Rheumatology Research Foundation (RRF), and the Arthritis Foundation expressed “deep concern” that the NIH had not renewed Criswell’s contract.

“Dr Criswell’s visionary leadership at NIAMS helped shape an era of scientific innovation advancing care for millions of people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases,” ACR President William F. Harvey, MD, said in the statement.

The ACR, RRF, and Arthritis Foundation called on NIH to quickly appoint a new permanent director.

“Disruptions in NIAMS leadership can reverberate across the research pipeline, affecting trainees, laboratories, and multiyear collaborations that depend on predictable federal support,” RRF President Bryce A. Binstadt, MD, PhD, said in the statement.

In a statement on X, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) said it appreciated Criswell and “her long ‑ standing support of musculoskeletal research.” Criswell “advanced progress on conditions that impact millions,” said ASBMR, adding, “This moment highlights the continued need for strong federal commitment to research funding and evidence ‑ based policy.”

Long-Standing Interest in Genetics

Criswell became NIAMS director in 2021, after many years at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

She was named a full professor of medicine at UCSF in 2007 and served as vice-chancellor of research from 2017 to 2021. She earned her MD at UCSF, a bachelor’s degree in genetics and a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley, and her DSc in genetic epidemiology from the Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences, Rotterdam.

Criswell has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and her efforts have contributed to the identification of more than 30 genes linked to autoimmune disorders.

In an interview with Medscape Medical News after she became NIAMS director, Criswell said, “Some of my most rewarding and impactful work has focused on the shared genetic basis of autoimmune diseases.”

At NIH, Criswell and colleagues have investigated how sex and ethnicity might affect the likelihood of developing lupus, RA, or Sjögren disease, and the impact of DNA modification in turning genes on or off. Criswell’s lab is also investigating how pollution, diet, and pathogen exposure might influence autoimmune diseases.

Alicia Ault is a Saint Petersburg, Florida-based freelance journalist whose work has appeared in many health and science publications, including Smithsonian.com. You can find her on X @aliciaault and on Bluesky @aliciaault.bsky.social.