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51ÊÓƵ Leadership
The Office of the Director is the central office at 51ÊÓƵ, responsible for setting policy for 51ÊÓƵ and for planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all 51ÊÓƵ components. The 51ÊÓƵ Director, with a unique and critical perspective on the entire agency, is responsible for providing leadership to the Institutes and for constantly identifying needs and opportunities, especially for efforts that involve multiple Institutes. The 51ÊÓƵ Director is assisted by 51ÊÓƵ Deputy Directors including the Principal Deputy Director, who shares in the overall direction of the agency's activities.
The 51ÊÓƵ Director
Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D. is the 18th director of the National Institutes of Health. President Trump nominated Dr. Bhattacharya for the position on November 26, 2024, the U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 25, 2025, and he took office on April 1, 2025. A health economist and longtime 51ÊÓƵ grantee, he previously served as a professor at Stanford University’s School of Medicine and Department of Economics.ÌýRead Dr. Bhattacharya’s bio sketch.
Deputy Directors
Associate Directors
Institute and Center Directors
Each 51ÊÓƵ Institute and Center has its own director to lead the pursuit of the research mission specific to the Institute.
The Role of the 51ÊÓƵ Director
The 51ÊÓƵ Director plays an active role in shaping the agency's activities and outlook. With a unique and critical perspective on the whole of the 51ÊÓƵ, 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 Director stays in touch with each Institute's priorities and accomplishments through:
- regular senior staff meetings,
- discussions with scientific interest groups, and
- briefing sessions with Institute directors.
The Director also seeks advice from the ,Ìý, , and the . These are federal advisory committees comprised of members who are independent of 51ÊÓƵ and have the required expertise to advise the 51ÊÓƵ Director on major decisions on plans and policies affecting the 51ÊÓƵ. ÌýThe Director also receives advice through discussions with the Administration, usually through theÌýÌý(HHS), and with the Congress.
The 51ÊÓƵ Director is responsible for advising the President on his annual budget request to Congress on the basis of extensive discussions with the Institute Directors.
The position of the 51ÊÓƵ 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.Ìý Prior to 1971, all 51ÊÓƵ 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.
Related Links
- All of Us Research Program OfficeÌý—ÌýLeads a nationwide research effort to gather data from one million or more volunteers over time, with the ultimate goal of improving health through more precise preventive care and medical treatment.
- — An 51ÊÓƵ-wide priority initiative to take better advantage of the exponential growth of biomedical research datasets, which is an area of critical importance to biomedical research. 51ÊÓƵ will engage with partners both within 51ÊÓƵ and in academia, industry, non-profits, or other government Agencies, to coordinate access to and analysis of many different data types (Big Data) that make up this revolution in biological information.
- — Identifies emerging scientific opportunities, rising public health challenges, and scientific knowledge gaps that merit further research. Plans and implements trans-51ÊÓƵ initiatives supported by the Common Fund and coordinates research related to AIDS, behavioral and social sciences, women's health, and disease prevention.
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Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) ProgramÌý—ÌýÌýLeads a nationwide initiative to answer crucial questions about the effects of a broad range of early environmental exposures on child health and development combining longitudinal data from new and existing clinical research studies. Includes more than 50,000 children from racially, ethnically, geographically and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds.
- Ìý— The Executive Office leads the 51ÊÓƵ Office of the Director (OD) in a wide array of administrative and business operations.
- — Manages the flow of information to and from, and the storage and retrieval of records
- — Provides IT Strategic Planning to 51ÊÓƵ Leadership Offices and Institute and Center Directors and serves in a leadership role in IT governance at 51ÊÓƵ. Responsible for coordinating 51ÊÓƵ IT with other HHS Operating Divisions and with other Federal Agencies.
- Office of Communications and Public Liaison — Responsible for communicating information on 51ÊÓƵ programs and activities to the public, the media, the scientific and medical communities, and public advocacy groups.
- — Develops clinical research training programs and collaborative funding opportunities, provides scientific review of all clinical protocols in the 51ÊÓƵ intramural program, and facilitates partnerships between 51ÊÓƵ and academic medical centers.
- — Responsible for assisting 51ÊÓƵ staff with the requirements, statutes, and regulations governing behavior of employees of the Federal Government.
- — Provides the corporate framework for 51ÊÓƵ research administration, ensuring scientific integrity, public accountability, and effective stewardship of the 51ÊÓƵ extramural research portfolio.
- — Responsible for oversight and coordination of intramural research, training, and technology transfer conducted within the laboratories and clinics of the National Institutes of Health (51ÊÓƵ).
- — Responsible for 51ÊÓƵ-wide administration and management.
- Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis — Serves as the principle legislative office for the 51ÊÓƵ Director and other senior 51ÊÓƵ staff.
- — provides informal assistance to members of the 51ÊÓƵ community in addressing lab and work-related issues.
- — Advises and supports the Director of the National Institutes of Health (51ÊÓƵ) on science policy issues affecting the medical research community, the 51ÊÓƵ, and the public.
This page last reviewed on April 30, 2025