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During his formative years in small-town Pennsylvania, Anthony Demsey, Director of the Office of Research Administration at NIBIB, never dreamed of a future in science and research. "The Long and Winding Road" describes the path that led to his current-day career, but one strong, consistent theme through all the years was his fascination and enthusiasm for biological studies. Demsey reflects, "I have always had a strong interest in biology. I took biology courses all through my first college program even though they didn't relate to my major."

Not long after he received his bachelor's degree, life signaled loud and clear that he was headed in the wrong direction. However, he lacked resources to continue his education. So, with just the right balance of assertive confidence and humility, Demsey found himself knocking on his high school doors to request a second chance at a scholarship he had previously turned down. He explains, "In high school, I was offered a scholarship to the University of Dayton, which I turned down because I chose a different academic direction. But when I made the decision to follow a new career path, I just needed one year of courses in biology and chemistry to qualify for graduate school. So, in one of the boldest moves I ever made, I went back to my high school and said, 'Hey, do you remember me? Well, I really could use just one year of that four-year scholarship you offered me when I graduated.'"

With a nod, a handshake, and a tuition check in his pocket, Demsey started down a new path and proceeded to execute his one-year plan that would set the groundwork for a microbiology graduate program. He recalls his strategy, "In graduate school, my primary interest was virology, but viruses grow very slowly compared to bacteria, so I focused my doctoral research on bacteria to expedite my graduation." In 1971, Demsey received a Ph.D. from Catholic University in Washington. He then spent a year on postdoctoral research in Germany where his research combined virology with electron microscopy, and when he returned to the U.S., he spent some time working with the New York State Department of Health prior to taking a position at the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Demsey arrived at NIH in the late 70s when he joined the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Intramural Program, but after two years, he started contemplating other professional options at NIH. He says, "For a really outgoing person, research can be very isolating." He discovered a great interest in the grants process and eventually took a position heading up an extramural review group at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). That proverbial fork in the road turned out to be a permanent departure from his laboratory bench, and the beginning of a new life in research policy and grants administration.

Demsey spent four years at NIGMS, then became Chief of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders Review Branch. From there, he was promoted to Associate Director for the Division of Research Grants (now the Center for Scientific Review) where he spent eight years. Ever humble, Demsey says he is lucky to have been selected as the Director of the Office of Research Administration at NIBIB.

The Importance of Mentors

When asked about mentors who had the most influence on his professional life, Demsey says without hesitation, "Al Rabson." Dr. Alan Rabson, Deputy Director of the NCI, was instrumental in bringing Demsey to NIH, and was also, to a certain degree, instrumental in his move to Extramural Programs at NIGMS. Demsey says, "I really wanted to join the Grants Associates (GA) Program, so while preparing my application, I asked a former GA working at NIGMS for advice. He mentioned that NIGMS had a vacancy and said he would forward my paperwork on to his boss. The next morning, he called and told me that when his boss saw my application, she said, 'Tony Demsey! Al talks about him all the time. Sure. Let's hire him!'" That "boss" turned out to be Al Rabson's wife, Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, who was at that time NIGMS Director.

Demsey adds, "Al is an extremely knowledgeable and deeply caring person. I can't tell you how many times I've had friends who had health problems, and he was always happy to speak with them and advise them. It's like he's giving advice to his own children. That's how much Al cares about people."

The NIBIB Grant-making Process

Demsey describes his place in the grants process, "My research experience is rather tangential to this institute's interests, and I'm certainly not deeply embedded in the science of this institute. I run the NIBIB Advisory Council, which is the second level of review in the NIH grants process, and my office includes branches specializing in both grants management and peer review."

Scientific and technical merit reviews must be completed by a Peer Review Group, then the Advisory Council has to approve of the initial peer review prior to decisions on funding. Consequently, all NIBIB grant applications are funneled through Demsey's office. "My biggest role in Council operations is making sure that all of the applications that are required to be sent to Council make it there. I orchestrate how individual grants are brought before council, and I assign people to review significant items. I enjoy running meetings, keeping things on schedule and keeping people involved. I'm in my element when I'm in Council."

Demsey is probably best known for his expertise in extramural research policy, which was a key incentive for his hire at NIBIB. His enthusiasm for this aspect of his work is obvious when he says, "I'm intrigued by the interpretation of policy and the process of writing procedures to implement it."

Demsey shows no signs of slowing and he makes it clear that we won't be seeing him out in the proverbial pasture any time soon. "Retirement isn't calling me yet," he says. Putting all those years of education, experience, and work aside, he won't take full credit for his own success, "I've come quite a ways down the road, but I do realize just how fortunate I am to have a job I love at this point in my life."

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