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NLM Names Acting Scientific Director for NLM's Intramural Research Program and Acting Director for NLM's Extramural Programs

National Library of Medicine (NLM) Director, Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD, has named Valerie Florance, PhD, as Acting Scientific Director of NLM’s Intramural Research Program and Hua-Chuan Sim, MD, as Acting Director of NLM’s Extramural Programs — effective January 15, 2021.

NLM Intramural Research Program

Valerie Florance

As Acting Scientific Director of NLM’s Intramural Research Program (IRP), Dr. Florance will oversee a unified program that includes components housed in NLM’s Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications and the National Center for Biotechnology Information. NLM’s IRP conducts research and training in computational biology and computational health sciences and is distinctive in its focus on solving biological and clinical problems through computational approaches that can be generalized and applied across multiple types of data, disciplines, and health issues.

Dr. Florance came to the NLM in 2001 and most recently served as Director of NLM’s Extramural Programs, where she was responsible for all of NLM’s research, resource, and training programs. She also served as program director for NLM’s university-based pre-and post-doctoral training programs in biomedical informatics and data science.

Dr. Florance received her BA and MA degrees in medical anthropology from the University of Utah, a master’s degree in library science from Brigham Young University, and a PhD in information and library science from the University of Maryland.

NLM Extramural Research Programs

Dr. Sim will serve as Acting Director of NLM’s Extramural Programs (EP). In this role, he will oversee NLM’s grant programs for research, resources, workforce development, and small business related to biomedical informatics and data science.

Dr Sim has served as NLM’s Chief Program Officer with responsibility for the grant portfolio relating to clinical informatics, but will now be responsible for the full range of topics. Dr. Sim is a board-certified physician with postdoctoral training in biomedical informatics and data science.

Last Reviewed: January 21, 2021