Director of the National Institutes of Health

Leading role in US federal department From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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]

AppointerThe president
FormationAugust 1887
First holderJoseph J. Kinyoun
WebsiteOfficial website
Quick facts Director of the National Institutes of Health, Appointer ...
Director of the
National Institutes of Health
since April 1, 2025
AppointerThe president
FormationAugust 1887
First holderJoseph J. Kinyoun
WebsiteOfficial website
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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.

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

  1. [a]
    Kinyoun was appointed the first director of the U.S. Hygienic Laboratory by the Surgeon General in 1887.
  2. [b]
    The U.S. Hygienic Laboratory was renamed the National Institute of Health in 1930 under the Ransdell Act.
  3. [c]
    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. [d]
    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. [e]
    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. [f]
    NIH deputy director
  7. [g]
    NIH principal deputy director
  8. [h]
    Director of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID) Clinical Studies Unit, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

References

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