Effective June 22, 2018, Paul M. Coates, PhD, will retire as director of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health. He has served as ODS director since 1999.
 
In a press release discussing his departure, Dr. Coates stated, “It has been an exciting and gratifying 19 years for me. For all those years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with truly talented and dedicated people; I hope they have enjoyed it as much as I have. ODS has grown substantially in size, in budget, and in impact over the years and it’s been a privilege to be part of that growth. All of the impact that we have had can be directly attributed to the work that ODS staff have accomplished-along with their colleagues in government, as well as in the private and academic sectors. I owe them a debt of gratitude for their willingness to include me in their remarkable efforts.”

Joseph Betz, PhD, will serve as acting director of ODS. Dr. Betz previously served in the role of director, Analytical Methods and Reference Materials Program. Dr. Coates said Dr. Betz would have “ample help from his colleagues in ODS in sustaining and enhancing the role of the office in research, training, and communication on matters relevant to dietary supplements.”
 
The role of director of ODS is defined by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, with responsibilities including:

• to explore more fully the potential role of dietary supplements as a significant part of the efforts of the United States to improve health care;
• to promote scientific study of the benefits of dietary supplements in maintaining health and preventing chronic disease and other health-related conditions;
• to conduct and coordinate scientific research within NIH relating to dietary supplements;
• to collect and compile the results of scientific research relating to dietary supplements, including scientific data from foreign sources; and
• to serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary and to the Assistant Secretary for Health and provide advice to the Director of NIH, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration on issues relating to dietary supplements.