NIH appoints John Powers III as acting NIAID director
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- NIH appointed researcher John Powers III as acting director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) after weeks of leadership limbo.
- Powers previously served as a senior adviser at NIAID and as deputy to former director Jeffery Taubenberger.
- NIAID is NIH’s second‑largest agency, overseeing $6.5 billion in funding.
- Jeanne Marrazzo was ousted in March, leaving the institute without a permanent leader until now.
- Lawmakers expressed concern about the bench of infectious‑disease expertise amid a recent hantavirus outbreak and an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa.
- The email announcing the appointment was sent to NIH staff on Tuesday morning, as seen by STAT.
- The email highlighted Powers’ extensive experience in clinical infectious diseases, clinical research, regulatory science and public health leadership.
Why it matters: The appointment ends weeks of leadership limbo at NIAID, restoring a director to oversee its $6.5 billion budget and guide the response to the hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks, thereby addressing congressional worries about a shrinking infectious‑disease expertise bench and ensures continuity in regulatory science and public health leadership.
