David Goff, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., appointed to Deputy Director for Precision Medicine and Data Science at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Statement from Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., Director of NHLBI:

It is my pleasure to announce that David Goff, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., will become Deputy Director for Precision Medicine and Data Science at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) starting December 16, 2024.

In this new role, Dr. Goff will lead efforts to harness cutting-edge data science approaches to strategically drive and accelerate advancements in personalizing the prevention, detection, and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep conditions.  

This new position will be located within the Office of the Director as part of strategic initiatives to advance data science and precision medicine research. Dr. Goff will work with a forthcoming senior advisor for data science, appointed in 2025, to lead, plan, and implement these initiatives and to modernize NHLBI’s data resource ecosystem. He will also oversee NHLBI’s BioData Catalyst and Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) programs.

Dr. Goff has served as Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences (DCVS) since 2016. Throughout his career, he has led efforts to develop, test, and implement better strategies to promote cardiovascular health and prevent cardiovascular disease. During this time, he has guided and championed the establishment of NHLBI’s complex precision medicine and data science programs. 

In his new role, Dr. Goff will expand on identifying ways to build strategic partnerships, develop and disseminate advanced technologies and methods, and catalyze new capabilities in biomedical data science to transform and expand precision medicine research initiatives across NIH, other federal agencies, and external stakeholders. This includes identifying new ways to collect and convert data that has, is, or will be collected into information to support and improve the health outcomes of Americans, while helping researchers identify better ways to detect, prevent, and treat disease.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Goff for his leadership in DCVS and for his contributions in advancing cardiovascular health research. I am thrilled to see his success continue in this new capacity. As he transitions to Deputy Director for Precision Medicine and Data Science, I extend my gratitude to Gina S. Wei, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Prevention and Population Sciences Program, for serving as Acting Director of DCVS. A national search for a new director of DCVS will begin in 2025.