| Post: | Director of the National Institutes of Health |
| Flag: | NIH Master Logo Vertical 2Color.png |
| Flagsize: | 150 |
| Insigniaborder: | yes |
| Insigniasize: | 120 |
| Incumbent: | Monica Bertagnolli |
| Incumbentsince: | November 9, 2023 |
| Formation: | August 1887 |
| First: | Joseph J. Kinyoun |
| Website: | Official website |
| Appointer: | The President |
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.
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.
Unnumbered, colored rows indicate acting directors.
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term in office | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 1887 - April 30, 1899 | John B. Hamilton | |||
| 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 | ||
| 5 | Lewis Ryers Thompson | February 1, 1937 - January 31, 1942 | Thomas Parran | ||
| 6 | Rolla Dyer | February 1, 1942 - September 30, 1950 | Thomas Parran | ||
| 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 | ||
| – | John F. Sherman | January 21, 1973 - May 28, 1973 | Elliot L. Richardson | ||
| 10 | Robert Stone | May 29, 1973 - January 31, 1975 | Richard Nixon | ||
| – | Ronald W. Lamont-Havers | February 1, 1975 - June 30, 1975 | Caspar Weinberger | ||
| 11 | Donald S. Fredrickson | July 1, 1975 - June 30, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | ||
| – | Thomas E. Malone | July 1, 1981 - April 28, 1982 | Richard S. Schweiker | ||
| 12 | James Wyngaarden | April 29, 1982 - July 31, 1989 | Ronald Reagan | ||
| – | William F. Raub | August 1, 1989 - April 8, 1991 | Louis Wade Sullivan | ||
| 13 | Bernadine Healy | April 8, 1991 - June 30, 1993 | George H.W. Bush | ||
| – | Ruth L. Kirschstein | July 1, 1993 - November 22, 1993 | Donna Shalala | ||
| 14 | Harold E. Varmus | November 23, 1993 - December 31, 1999 | Bill Clinton | ||
| – | Ruth L. Kirschstein | January 1, 2000 - May 2, 2002 | Donna Shalala | ||
| 15 | Elias Zerhouni | May 3, 2002 - October 31, 2008 | George W. Bush | ||
| – | Raynard S. Kington | November 1, 2008 - August 16, 2009 | Michael O. Leavitt | ||
| 16 | Francis Collins | August 17, 2009 - December 19, 2021 | Barack Obama | ||
| – | Lawrence A. Tabak | December 20, 2021 - November 8, 2023 | Xavier Becerra | ||
| 17 | Monica Bertagnolli | November 9, 2023 – Present | Joe Biden |