Statement  Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Statement on the Appointment of Dr. Nicole Kleinstreuer as NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives

Image

I’m pleased to announce that Nicole C. Kleinstreuer, Ph.D., has been named NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, a role in which she has served in an acting capacity since April 16, 2025. In this position, she leads the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) within the NIH Office of the Director. DPCPSI houses NIH-wide programmatic research and strategic policy initiatives, including the NIH Common Fund and offices focused on women’s health, data science, AIDS research, disease prevention, behavioral and social sciences, nutrition research, dietary supplements, and tribal health, among others.

Dr. Kleinstreuer is internationally recognized for her leadership in developing innovative, human-relevant research strategies that improve public health protection. She has led interagency and international efforts to promote new approach methodologies (NAMs), advance human-based innovation, and integrate computational modeling, artificial intelligence, and systems modeling into regulatory science and biomedical research. Her work spans translational bioinformatics, predictive modeling, and quantitative risk assessment. She has authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications and received numerous honors, including the 2019 Society of Toxicology Achievement Award, the 2025 Enhancement of Animal Welfare Award, and the 2025 Global Humane Science Innovator Award.

Prior to her current position, Dr. Kleinstreuer served as director of the National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM), within the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). She also served as Executive Director of the congressionally mandated Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) and as the U.S. National Co-Coordinator for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Test Guidelines Programme.

Dr. Kleinstreuer holds B.S. degrees in biomedical engineering and applied mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Canterbury. She completed postdoctoral training in computational toxicology at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and held adjunct faculty appointments at Yale University, and UNC Chapel Hill. She is deeply committed to mentorship, public health protection, and scientific innovation that enhances the translation of biomedical research to real-world impact.

I am delighted to have her as a permanent member of the NIH leadership team and ask that you join me in congratulating Dr. Kleinstreuer on her appointment.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya
NIH Director

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health^®