# Director of the National Institutes of Health

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. 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

Unnumbered, colored rows indicate acting directors.
| No. | Name | Term in office | Appointed by | Notes |
| 1 | Joseph J. Kinyoun | August 1887 - April 30, 1899 | John B. Hamilton | Kinyoun was appointed the first director of the U.S. Hygienic Laboratory by the Surgeon General in 1887. |
| 2 | Milton J. Rosenau | May 1, 1899 - September 30, 1909 | Walter Wyman | |
| 3 | John F. Anderson | October 1, 1909 - November 19, 1915 | Walter Wyman | |
| 4 | George W. McCoy | November 20, 1915 - January 31, 1937 | Rupert Blue | The U.S. Hygienic Laboratory was renamed the National Institute of Health in 1930 under the Ransdell Act. |
| 5 | Lewis Ryers Thompson | February 1, 1937 - January 31, 1942 | Thomas Parran | |
| 6 | Rolla Dyer | February 1, 1942 - September 30, 1950 | Thomas Parran | 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. |
| 7 | William H. Sebrell Jr. | October 1, 1950 - July 31, 1955 | Leonard A. Scheele | |
| 8 | James A. Shannon | August 1, 1955 - August 31, 1968 | Leonard A. Scheele | |
| 9 | Robert Q. Marston | September 1, 1968 - January 21, 1973 | Wilbur J. Cohen | 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. 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. |
| – | John F. Sherman | January 21, 1973 - May 28, 1973 | Elliot L. Richardson | NIH deputy director |
| 10 | Robert Stone | May 29, 1973 - January 31, 1975 | Richard Nixon | |
| – | Ronald W. Lamont-Havers | February 1, 1975 - June 30, 1975 | Caspar Weinberger | NIH deputy director |
| 11 | Donald S. Fredrickson | July 1, 1975 - June 30, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| – | Thomas E. Malone | July 1, 1981 - April 28, 1982 | Richard S. Schweiker | NIH deputy director |
| 12 | James Wyngaarden | April 29, 1982 - July 31, 1989 | Ronald Reagan | |
| – | William F. Raub | August 1, 1989 - April 8, 1991 | Louis Wade Sullivan | NIH deputy director |
| 13 | Bernadine Healy | April 8, 1991 - June 30, 1993 | George H.W. Bush | |
| – | Ruth L. Kirschstein | July 1, 1993 - November 22, 1993 | Donna Shalala | NIH deputy director |
| 14 | Harold E. Varmus | November 23, 1993 - December 31, 1999 | Bill Clinton | |
| – | Ruth L. Kirschstein | January 1, 2000 - May 1, 2002 | Donna Shalala | NIH deputy director |
| 15 | Elias Zerhouni | May 2, 2002 - October 31, 2008 | George W. Bush | |
| – | Raynard S. Kington | November 1, 2008 - August 16, 2009 | Michael O. Leavitt | NIH deputy director |
| 16 | Francis Collins | August 17, 2009 - December 19, 2021 | Barack Obama | |
| – | Lawrence A. Tabak | December 20, 2021 - November 8, 2023 | Xavier Becerra | NIH principal deputy director |
| 17 | Monica Bertagnolli | November 9, 2023 – January 17, 2025 | Joe Biden | |
| – | Matthew Memoli | January 22, 2025 – Present | Dorothy Fink | Director of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID) Clinical Studies Unit, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) |