Noted geneticist will speak at VCU’s graduation

Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, will speak at Virginia Commonwealth University's 2009 spring commencement.

A physician and geneticist, Collins is noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project, a complex multidisciplinary enterprise that in 2003 resulted in the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book.

Collins is a native of Staunton and is a University of Virginia graduate. In 2007, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award. He also is a winner of the Virginia Outstanding Scientist of the Year award.

Collins, who left his director position in 2008 after 15 years, spearheaded the effort to ensure that the new trove of sequence data would be used to advance biological knowledge and improve human health.

Graduation exercises are at 10 a.m. May 16 at the Richmond Coliseum.