Director of the National Institutes of Health


In the United States, the National Institutes of Health 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. 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.

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.

List of directors

The following persons served as directors of the National Institutes of Health:
Unnumbered, colored rows indicate acting directors.
PortraitNameTerm startTerm endAppointed by
1Joseph J. KinyounAugust 1887April 30, 1899John B. Hamilton
2Milton J. RosenauMay 1, 1899September 30, 1909Walter Wyman
3John F. AndersonOctober 1, 1909November 19, 1915Walter Wyman
4George W. McCoyNovember 20, 1915January 31, 1937Rupert Blue
5Lewis Ryers ThompsonFebruary 1, 1937January 31, 1942Thomas Parran
6Rolla DyerFebruary 1, 1942September 30, 1950Thomas Parran
7William H. Sebrell Jr.October 1, 1950July 31, 1955Leonard A. Scheele
8James A. ShannonAugust 1, 1955August 31, 1968Leonard A. Scheele
9Robert Q. MarstonSeptember 1, 1968January 21, 1973Wilbur J. Cohen
–John F. ShermanJanuary 21, 1973May 28, 1973Elliot L. Richardson
10Robert StoneMay 29, 1973January 31, 1975Richard Nixon
–Ronald W. Lamont-HaversFebruary 1, 1975June 30, 1975Caspar Weinberger
11Donald S. FredricksonJuly 1, 1975June 30, 1981Jimmy Carter
–Thomas E. MaloneJuly 1, 1981April 28, 1982Richard S. Schweiker
12James WyngaardenApril 29, 1982July 31, 1989Ronald Reagan
–William F. RaubAugust 1, 1989April 8, 1991Louis Wade Sullivan
13Bernadine HealyApril 8, 1991June 30, 1993George H. W. Bush
–Ruth L. KirschsteinJuly 1, 1993November 22, 1993Donna Shalala
14Harold E. VarmusNovember 23, 1993December 31, 1999Bill Clinton
–Ruth L. KirschsteinJanuary 1, 2000May 1, 2002Donna Shalala
15Elias ZerhouniMay 2, 2002October 31, 2008George W. Bush
–Raynard S. KingtonNovember 1, 2008August 16, 2009Michael O. Leavitt
16Francis CollinsAugust 17, 2009December 19, 2021Barack Obama
–Lawrence A. TabakDecember 20, 2021November 8, 2023Xavier Becerra
17Monica BertagnolliNovember 9, 2023January 17, 2025Joe Biden
–Matthew MemoliJanuary 22, 2025March 31, 2025Dorothy Fink
18Jay BhattacharyaApril 1, 2025PresentDonald Trump

Table notes: