Director of the National Institutes of Health

Last updated
Director of the
National Institutes of Health
NIH Master Logo Vertical 2Color.png
Jay Bhattacharya, official portrait (2025).jpg
Incumbent
Jay Bhattacharya
since April 1, 2025
AppointerThe president
FormationAugust 1887
First holder Joseph J. Kinyoun
Website Official website

In the United States, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency responsible for medical research. The director of the National Institutes of Health plays an active role in shaping the agency's activities and outlook. The director is responsible for providing leadership to the institutes and for constantly identifying needs and opportunities, especially for efforts that involve multiple institutes. [1] The NIH director is responsible for advising the U.S. president on their annual budget request to Congress on the basis of extensive discussions with the institute directors. [1]

Contents

History

The position of the NIH director became presidentially appointed with the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971 and Senate confirmed with the National Cancer Act Amendments of 1974.  Prior to 1971, all NIH directors were appointed by the surgeon general, with the exception of Robert Q. Marston, who was appointed by the secretary of health, education, and welfare. Acting directors are selected by the secretary of health and human services and hold the position until the president nominates a new director who is confirmed by the Senate. [2]

List of directors

The following persons served as directors of the National Institutes of Health: [3]

Unnumbered, colored rows indicate acting directors.

No.PortraitNameTerm startTerm endAppointed byRefs.
1 Dr. Joseph J. Kinyoun (6916215501).jpg Joseph J. Kinyoun [a] August 1887April 30, 1899 John B. Hamilton [4]
2 Milton J Rosenau.jpg Milton J. Rosenau May 1, 1899September 30, 1909 Walter Wyman [5]
3 John F Anderson.jpg John F. Anderson October 1, 1909November 19, 1915 Walter Wyman [6]
4 George W. McCoy.jpg George W. McCoy [b] November 20, 1915January 31, 1937 Rupert Blue [7]
5 Lewis Ryers Thompson.jpg Lewis Ryers Thompson February 1, 1937January 31, 1942 Thomas Parran [8]
6 Rolla Dyer.jpg Rolla Dyer [c] February 1, 1942September 30, 1950 Thomas Parran [9] [10]
7 Henry Sebrell Jr.png William H. Sebrell Jr. October 1, 1950July 31, 1955 Leonard A. Scheele [11]
8 James A. Shannon.jpg James A. Shannon August 1, 1955August 31, 1968 Leonard A. Scheele [12]
9 Robert Marston 3.jpg Robert Q. Marston [d] [e] September 1, 1968January 21, 1973 Wilbur J. Cohen [13] [14]
– Noimage.svg John F. Sherman [f] January 21, 1973May 28, 1973 Elliot L. Richardson [15]
10 Robert Stone NIH Portrait.jpg Robert Stone May 29, 1973January 31, 1975 Richard Nixon [16]
– Noimage.svg Ronald W. Lamont-Havers [f] February 1, 1975June 30, 1975 Caspar Weinberger [17]
11 Donald S. Fredrickson 1961.jpg Donald S. Fredrickson July 1, 1975June 30, 1981 Jimmy Carter [18]
– Dr. Thomas E. Malone.jpg Thomas E. Malone [f] July 1, 1981April 28, 1982 Richard S. Schweiker [19]
12 James Wyngaarden.jpg James Wyngaarden April 29, 1982July 31, 1989 Ronald Reagan [20]
– William F. Raub (cropped).jpg William F. Raub [f] August 1, 1989April 8, 1991 Louis Wade Sullivan [21] [22]
13 Dr. Bernadine Healy (14172776968).jpg Bernadine Healy April 8, 1991June 30, 1993 George H.W. Bush [23]
– RuthKirschstein.jpg Ruth L. Kirschstein [f] July 1, 1993November 22, 1993 Donna Shalala [24]
14 National Cancer Institute director Harold E. Varmus (3) (cropped).jpg Harold E. Varmus November 23, 1993December 31, 1999 Bill Clinton [25]
– RuthKirschstein.jpg Ruth L. Kirschstein [f] January 1, 2000May 1, 2002 Donna Shalala [24]
15 Elias Zerhouni cropped.png Elias Zerhouni May 2, 2002October 31, 2008 George W. Bush [26] [27] [28]
– Kington NIH Director.jpg Raynard S. Kington [f] November 1, 2008August 16, 2009 Michael O. Leavitt [29]
16 Francis Collins official photo.jpg Francis Collins August 17, 2009December 19, 2021 Barack Obama [30] [31] [32]
– Lawrence A. Tabak official portrait (cropped).jpg Lawrence A. Tabak [g] December 20, 2021November 8, 2023 Xavier Becerra [33]
17 Monica M. Bertagnolli, NCI Director.png Monica Bertagnolli November 9, 2023January 17, 2025 Joe Biden [34] [35] [36]
– Matthew Memoli, official portrait (2025) (cropped).jpg Matthew Memoli [h] January 22, 2025March 31, 2025 Dorothy Fink [37] [38]
18 Jay Bhattacharya, official portrait (2025) (cropped).jpg Jay Bhattacharya April 1, 2025Present Donald Trump [39]

Table notes:

  1. ↑ Kinyoun was appointed the first director of the U.S. Hygienic Laboratory by the Surgeon General in 1887.
  2. ↑ The U.S. Hygienic Laboratory was renamed the National Institute of Health in 1930 under the Ransdell Act.
  3. ↑ The National Institute of Health was renamed the National Institutes of Health in 1948 as part of reorganization that was authorized under the National Heart Act.
  4. ↑ With the approval of President Johnson, Marston was appointed NIH director by HEW secretary Wilbur J. Cohen. Marston was head of another HEW department at the time of the appointment.
  5. ↑ Starting in 1971, directors became presidential appointees serving at the pleasure of the commander in chief as a result of the passage of the National Cancer Act.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NIH deputy director
  7. ↑ NIH principal deputy director
  8. ↑ Director of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID) Clinical Studies Unit, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 National Institutes of Health 2014.
  2. ↑ National Institutes of Health 2015.
  3. ↑ "NIH Directors". The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  4. ↑ "Joseph James Kinyoun, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  5. ↑ "Milton Joseph Rosenau, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  6. ↑ "John F. Anderson, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  7. ↑ "George Walter McCoy, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  8. ↑ "Lewis Ryers Thompson, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  9. ↑ "Rolla Eugene Dyer, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  10. ↑ "New Institutes". A Short History of the National Institutes of Health. National Institutes of Health. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ "William Henry Sebrell, Jr., M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  12. ↑ "James A. Shannon, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  13. ↑ "Robert Q. Marston, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  14. ↑ "Robert Q. Marston To Head NIH". Science . 161 (3839): 345. July 26, 1968. doi:10.1126/science.161.3839.34.
  15. ↑ "John F. Sherman, Ph.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Robert S. Stone, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  17. ↑ "Ronald W. Lamont-Havers, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  18. ↑ "Donald S. Fredrickson, M.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  19. ↑ "Thomas E. Malone, Ph.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  20. ↑ "James B. Wyngaarden, M.D." National Institutes of Health.
  21. ↑ "William F. Raub, Ph.D." The NIH Almanac. National Institutes of Health.
  22. ↑ "William F. Raub, PH.D." Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  23. ↑ "Bernadine Healy, M.D." NIH.
  24. 1 2 "Ruth Kirschstein, M.D." NIH.
  25. ↑ "Harold E. Varmus, M.D." NIH.
  26. ↑ "Minutes of the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research" (PDF). National Advisory Council for Nursing Research. May 21, 2002.
  27. ↑ "Elias A. Zerhouni to End Tenure as Director of the National Institutes of Health". NIH. September 1, 2008. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011.
  28. ↑ "Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D." NIH.
  29. ↑ "Raynard S. Kington, M.D." NIH.
  30. ↑ "Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Sworn in as NIH Director". NIH. August 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Francis Collins to step down as director of the National Institutes of Health". NIH. October 5, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D." NIH.
  33. ↑ "Lawrence A. Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D." NIH.
  34. ↑ "Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D." NIH.
  35. ↑ "CONFIRMED: Bertagnolli Named Director". The NIH Catalyst. 32 (1). January–February 2024.
  36. ↑ "Statement from Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., on ending her tenure as NIH director". NIH. January 14, 2025. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Matthew J. Memoli, M.D, M.S." NIH.
  38. ↑ "NIAID's Memoli Appointed NIH Acting Director". NIH Record . February 14, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Jay Bhattacharya Begins Tenure as 18th Director of the National Institutes of Health". NIH. April 1, 2025.

Bibliography

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