Cardiologist Nakela Cook, M.D., M.P.H., currently a Senior Scientific Officer and Chief of Staff in the Immediate Office of the Director (IOD) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), will take on a new role as the Executive Director of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) on April 15. PCORI, a nonprofit institute sponsored by the U.S. Government and created by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, funds comparative effectiveness research to assist patients, clinicians, and policy makers to make informed health care decisions and improve patient outcomes. Dr. Cook will lead research, dissemination, implementation, and engagement work at PCORI and will oversee new and ongoing programs.

Dr. Cook, a strong advocate for women’s health, has had a distinguished career at NIH, providing institutional leadership in support of the NHLBI Director, overseeing support operations of the IOD, leading NHLBI’s strategy development for research on the health of women, and serving as a Medical Officer in the Clinical Applications  and Prevention Branch in the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at NHLBI. Dr. Cook shared her insights with ORWH in a Pearls of Wisdom video in which she described the frustration of not receiving a grant she applied for as a junior investigator and the importance of resilience in pursuing a career in STEMM.

ORWH congratulates Dr. Cook on her new position and thanks her for her many contributions to NIH and women’s health research.