National Institutes of Health
The nation's medical research agency, conducting and supporting biomedical research to improve public health and save lives
27
Institutes & Centers
$47B
Annual Budget
18,000+
Employees
300,000+
Supported Researchers
Current Leadership
Key officials leading NIH under the Trump Administration
JB
Jay Bhattacharya
Director
April 1, 2025 - Present
Health economist and Stanford professor. Former NIH grantee focused on COVID-19 policy and public health economics.
DD
Deputy Director
Deputy Director
To be announced
Senior scientific leader responsible for day-to-day NIH operations and research coordination
PD
Principal Deputy Director
Principal Deputy Director
Acting capacity
Oversees extramural research programs and policy development across all NIH institutes
NIH Overview
1887
Year Established
80%
Extramural Research
2,500+
Research Universities
Clinical
Center Campus
Major NIH Institutes & Centers
Key research institutes within the National Institutes of Health
National Cancer Institute
NCI
Leading cancer research, treatment development, and prevention programs
National Institute of Mental Health
NIMH
Research on mental disorders, brain function, and behavioral science
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
NHLBI
Cardiovascular, pulmonary, and blood diseases research and prevention
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
NIAID
Infectious diseases, immunology, and vaccine development research
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
NIDDK
Diabetes, digestive disorders, kidney disease, and metabolic research
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
NINDS
Brain and nervous system disorders, stroke prevention and treatment
National Institute on Aging
NIA
Aging research, Alzheimer's disease, and age-related health conditions
National Human Genome Research Institute
NHGRI
Genomics research, precision medicine, and genetic disease studies
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
NIEHS
Environmental factors in human health and disease research
National Library of Medicine
NLM
Biomedical information services, databases, and digital health resources
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
NCCIH
Evidence-based research on complementary and alternative medicine
Fogarty International Center
FIC
Global health research training and international collaboration
Recent Developments & Policy Changes
April 2025
New Director Takes Office
Jay Bhattacharya begins tenure as 18th NIH Director, focusing on research transparency and evidence-based medicine
March 2025
Senate Confirmation
Dr. Bhattacharya confirmed by U.S. Senate after nomination by President Trump in November 2024
Feb 2025
Research Priority Reviews
New administration begins review of NIH research priorities and funding allocations under HHS reorganization
2024
Clinical Trial Oversight
Inspector General report highlighted NIH oversight failures in clinical trials with delayed or unpublished results
2024
Long COVID Research Initiative
Major research program launched to study long-term effects of COVID-19 and treatment options
Current Research Priorities
Key focus areas under Director Bhattacharya's leadership
Research Transparency
Improving clinical trial reporting, data sharing, and publication of research results
Evidence-Based Medicine
Strengthening standards for medical research and evidence evaluation
Health Economics Research
Cost-effectiveness studies and health policy economics analysis
Chronic Disease Prevention
Research on preventing and managing chronic diseases through lifestyle interventions
Precision Medicine
Personalized treatment approaches based on genetic and molecular profiling
Global Health Security
Pandemic preparedness, infectious disease surveillance, and vaccine development
Funding & Transparency
NIH funding distribution and accountability measures
$47B
Annual Budget
50,000+
Research Grants
2,500+
Institutions Funded
83%
External Research
Grant Database
Public database of all NIH grants and funding recipients through RePORT system
Clinical Trials Registry
ClinicalTrials.gov database of all NIH-funded clinical studies and results
Publication Requirements
PubMed Central mandate for publishing NIH-funded research results
Inspector General Oversight
Regular audits and investigations of NIH programs and grant management