doi:10.7916/vayt-6y23Oral history interview with Harold E. Varmus, 2021Varmus, Haroldoral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesH1N1 influenza--United StatesVarmus, HaroldObama, BarackPresident's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (U.S.)National Cancer Institute (U.S.)Precision Medicine InitiativeNational Institutes of Health (U.S.)Public Library of ScienceNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) PubMed CentralUnited States. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009Harold Varmus discusses his career in science and science policy and administration, with particular focus on his service in the Obama administration as co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) from 2009 to 2010, and director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 2010 to 2015. Varmus outlines the Obama administration's policy priorities and approach to science policy, describes the structure and activities of PCAST, and provides details about the major programs and initiatives with which he was closely involved, including the administration's response to the H1N1 pandemic, the Precision Medicine Initiative, and the inclusion of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Varmus also focuses on the importance of personal relationships among principals to the facilitation of interagency coordination, and he recounts efforts at collaboration with other federal agencies with mandates for science, health, and energy technology. Also discussed are Obama's enthusiasm for science, Varmus' role as chair of the Obama 2008 campaign's science and technology committee, the Science Envoy program, NCI's Provocative Questions initiative, and Varmus' commitment to open science, including the creation of PubMed Central and the Public Library of Science (PLOS), and efforts to expand requirements for open-access publication of publicly-funded research during the years of the Obama presidency