Oral History Collection

Michael Gottesman (Part I)

Michael Gottesman, M.D.’s resume includes the often-unacknowledged position he held from 1992-1993: acting director of the National Center for Human Genome Research (NCHGR). Originally skeptical of the Human Genome Project, his reputation as a cell geneticist with big picture perspective landed him the job. Currently, he is the deputy director for Intramural Research at the National Institutes of Health, as well as chief of the Laboratory of Cell Biology at the National Cancer Institute. In this oral history, Dr. Gottesman chronicles a tumultuous time at NCHGR (now called the National Human Genome Research Institute) from a multi-faceted perspective: clinician, researcher, and administrator.