WASHINGTON REPORT ON

Medicine & Health.

A McGRAW-HILL PUBLICATION

 

Jerome F. Brazda, Editor .
May 12, 1980 - Vol. 34, No. 19

HARRIS-NIH DISPUTE CONTINUES

Tension between HHS Secretary Patricia Harris and National In-
stitutes of Health Director Dr. Donald Fredrickson over health re-.
search legislation (see p.3) is building to a point where rampant
rumors of an imminent Fredrickson departure (his press office denies
them) are depressing morale at the once-proud research campus. Harris
has been vigorously insisting that she'll run things; Fredrickson
quietly, but firmly resisting. In a related incident last week Dr.
Burke Zimmerman, NIH lobbyist, was relieved of his job by Fredrickson
-- reportedlyvon Harris' orders. Zimmerman had clashed with Dr. :
Martin Kagnoff, a University of California researcher who, on. sab-
batical, has been writing the research legislation for the House Com-
merce Health Subcommittee while still holding an NIH grant. HHS
insiders grumble that Fredrickson didn't bring up the subject of the
grant until he began to rankle at Kagnoff's bill scaling down the
power of the NIH director. The three-way tussle between HHS head-
quarters, NIH, and the Health Subcommittee of Henry Waxman (D-Calif.)
has been sending sparks in every direction.

Fredrickson is reported to have received a letter from Kagnoff
complaining about a shortage of rats under his NIH supported research
project. Fredrickson, irritated at Kagnoff, is said to have shown
the letter around. Kagnoff was unavailable for comment. Waxman
was too.