The National Institutes of Health saw further leadership turnover as NINDS director Walter Koroshetz, M.D., exited, deepening interim management across institutes. The departure leaves half of NIH institutes under interim leadership and compounds administrative instability during a period of policy and budget scrutiny. Observers warned that prolonged leadership gaps could slow grants, policy implementation and long-range scientific initiatives, and may complicate NIH interactions with industry and academic partners until permanent appointments are in place.