AIDS Agency Head Quits to Work on HIV Vaccine

WASHINGTON —  Dr. William Paul, director of the Office of AIDS Research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said Friday that he had resigned so he could work on a vaccine against the deadly syndrome.

In a letter to associates and journalists, Paul said he was leaving with a “true sense of accomplishment” but wanted to return to research.

“I believe that such a vaccine is an urgent global public health imperative,” Paul, a top immunologist, wrote. “I also believe that the development of an effective HIV vaccine will provide the foundation for the discovery of vaccines for other life-threatening illnesses.”