Director of the National Institutes of Health

The NIH director plays an active role in shaping the agency's activities and outlook. With a unique and critical perspective on the whole of the NIH, 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]

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]

Unnumbered, colored rows indicate acting directors.

#	Name (birth–death)[2]	Portrait	Term of office			Appointed by (term)
			Start of office	End of office	Time in office
1	Joseph J. Kinyoun		August 1887	April 30, 1899		John B. Hamilton Walter Wyman
2	Milton J. Rosenau		May 1, 1899	September 30, 1909	10 years, 152 days	Walter Wyman
3	John F. Anderson		October 1, 1909	November 19, 1915	6 years, 49 days	Walter Wyman Rupert Blue
4	George Walter McCoy		November 20, 1915	January 31, 1937	21 years, 72 days	Rupert Blue Hugh S. Cumming Thomas Parran
5	Lewis Ryers Thompson		February 1, 1937	January 31, 1942	4 years, 364 days	Thomas Parran
6	Rolla Dyer		February 1, 1942	September 30, 1950	8 years, 241 days	Thomas Parran Leonard A. Scheele
7	William H. Sebrell Jr.		October 1, 1950	July 31, 1955	4 years, 303 days	Leonard A. Scheele
8	James A. Shannon		August 1, 1955	August 31, 1968	13 years, 30 days	Leonard A. Scheele Leroy Edgar Burney William H. Stewart
9	Robert Q. Marston		September 1, 1968	January 21, 1973	4 years, 142 days	Wilbur J. Cohen
	John F. Sherman		January 21, 1973	May 28, 1973	127 days	Richard Nixon
10	Robert Stone		May 29, 1973	January 31, 1975	1 year, 247 days	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
	Ronald W. Lamont-Havers		February 1, 1975	June 30, 1975	149 days	Gerald Ford
11	Donald S. Fredrickson		July 1, 1975	June 30, 1981	5 years, 364 days	Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter
	Thomas E. Malone		July 1, 1981	April 28, 1982	301 days	Ronald Reagan
12	James Wyngaarden		April 29, 1982	July 31, 1989	7 years, 93 days	Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush
	William F. Raub		August 1, 1989	April 8, 1991	1 year, 250 days	George H. W. Bush
13	Bernadine Healy		April 9, 1991	June 30, 1993	2 years, 82 days	George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton
	Ruth L. Kirschstein		July 1, 1993	November 22, 1993	144 days	Bill Clinton
14	Harold E. Varmus		November 23, 1993	December 31, 1999	6 years, 38 days	Bill Clinton
	Ruth L. Kirschstein		January 1, 2000	May 2, 2002	2 years, 121 days	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
15	Elias Zerhouni		May 2, 2002	October 31, 2008	6 years, 182 days	George W. Bush
	Raynard S. Kington		October 31, 2008	August 17, 2009	290 days	George W. Bush Barack Obama
16	Francis Collins		August 17, 2009	December 19, 2021	12 years, 124 days	Barack Obama Donald Trump Joe Biden
	Lawrence A. Tabak		December 20, 2021	Present	125 days	Joe Biden