Leshner, who had headed NIDA since 1994, said he was leaving the agency to become the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which publishes Science magazine. Gordis, on the other hand, said he will be retiring -- he turns 71 in February -- but plans to stay involved in the field.

"This decision did not come easily or quickly," said Gordis in an Oct. 2 letter to the addiction community. "These years have been the most rewarding of my career, and I have been fortunate to have worked with so many of you across the various disciplines that make up our field."

Leshner expressed similar sentiments in an e-mail to the agency's National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse. "Our institute and the science we conduct and support has never been stronger," he wrote. "Our work is clearly bettering prevention and treatment practice in the field, and, more generally, it is significantly influencing public understanding of drug abuse and addiction and resultant policies."

"This was just too great an opportunity to pass up," Leshner later told Join Together. "Actually, I've had truly wonderful support and leadership from NIH. I would have preferred a year or two from now, but couldn't resist this particular job."

Gordis' retirement is effective at the end of this year; Leshner will begin his job with AAAS on Dec. 3.

The National Institute on Health's (NIH) director's office will convene search committees to find successors to Gordis and Leshner, but many expect little progress on that front before a permanent head of NIH itself is named. Don Rabovsky, an NIH spokesperson, said that the search process likely will begin in a few weeks, but will take months to complete. Meanwhile, acting directors of NIDA and NIAAA will be named, he said.

Beverly Jackson, a spokesperson for NIDA, said that the timing of Leshner's and Gordis' announcements was purely coincidental. "There was no political pressure whatsoever," she said in response to a question about whether the Bush administration might be interested in bringing in its own leaders for the two addiction-research agencies. Sources at NIAAA agreed that Gordis' decision was his alone.

Knowledgeable field sources say that the departure of Gordis and Leshner is likely to fuel rumors about a possible merger of NIAAA and NIDA -- discussions that have heated up in recent months. Supporters say that alcohol and other drug research is virtually indistinguishable and should be combined; critics say that a merger would lower the profile of addiction-related research and lead to reduced federal funding overall.

David Rosenbloom, director of Join Together and a member of the NIDA National Advisory Council, said that under Gordis' leadership, NIAAA "has done superb research which creates a strong foundation for improvements in alcohol prevention, treatment, and policy."

Leshner, he added, "has been an exciting and dynamic leader who has motivated the whole field. He set out to move addiction treatment from ideology to science, and has done a remarkable job."

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