NIH Directors

NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.

Portrait of Dr. Francis Collins

NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project, served as Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health from 1993-2008. Read Dr. Collins' full biosketch.

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