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NIH Directors
NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Appointment of the NIH Director
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.
Chronology of NIH Directors
Name | In Office from | To |
---|---|---|
Joseph J. Kinyoun1 | August 1887 | April 30, 1899 |
Milton J. Rosenau | May 1, 1899 | September 30, 1909 |
John F. Anderson | October 1, 1909 | November 19, 1915 |
George W. McCoy2 | November 20, 1915 May 26, 1930 |
May 25, 1930 Jan. 31, 1937 |
Lewis R. Thompson | February 1, 1937 | January 31, 1942 |
Rolla E. Dyer3 | February 1, 1942 June 16, 1948 |
June 15, 1948 September 30, 1950 |
William H. Sebrell, Jr. | October 1, 1950 | July 31, 1955 |
James A. Shannon | August 1, 1955 | August 31, 1968 |
Robert Q. Marston | September 1, 1968 | January 21, 1973 |
Robert S. Stone | May 29, 1973 | January 31, 1975 |
Donald S. Fredrickson | July 1, 1975 | June 30, 1981 |
James B. Wyngaarden | April 29, 1982 | July 31, 1989 |
Bernadine Healy | April 9, 1991 | June 30, 1993 |
Harold E. Varmus | November 23, 1993 | December 31, 1999 |
Elias A. Zerhouni | May 2, 2002 | October 31, 2008 |
Francis S. Collins | August 17, 2009 | Present |
1 Director, Hygienic Laboratory.
2 Director, National Institute of Health.
3 Director, National Institutes of Health.
This page last reviewed on March 3, 2017