Walter Koroshetz, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, will soon be leaving his role, STAT has learned. His departure in the coming days means nearly half the 27 NIH divisions will have interim leaders.

Koroshetz sent an email to NINDS staff late Friday night explaining that a request to reappoint him was denied, adding that his current temporary extension ends Sunday.

...............

The National Institutes of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how and why the decision was made. NINDS staff said it is unclear who will lead the institute in Koroshet’s absence. “We have zero information,” said one staffer who requested anonymity to speak freely.

The abrupt departure caps off a year marked by leadership turnover across the NIH’s institutes and centers. The Trump administration has declined to renew the appointments of other NIH institute directors, including Eric Green, former head of the National Human Genome Research Institute. Once Koroshetz is out, 13 of the agency’s 27 institutes and centers leaders will have an acting director.