Director's Page

At NIH, we are dedicated to improving the health of Americans by conducting and funding medical research.

We also train scientists, and communicate medical and health sciences information to patients, their families, health care providers and the general public.

NIH guides America's efforts in medical research. Our goal is to uncover new knowledge that will help prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat disease and disability, from the common cold to the rarest genetic disorder.

Our investment in understanding such diseases as AIDS, diabetes, heart disease and cancer returns dividends in longer, healthier, and safer lives.

We continue to make major inroads in fighting humanity's most enduring illnesses. And we are working to confront new threats to our health and safety, like bioterrorism.

We encourage you to explore the wealth of medical research on the NIH Web site and to learn more about our world-class research, scientists, and programs.

Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D. was named Acting NIH Director of the National Institutes of Health on October 31, 2008, following the departure of Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. Since February 9, 2003, when Dr. Kington was appointed Deputy Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he shared in the overall leadership, policy direction, and coordination of NIH biomedical research and research training programs of NIH’s 27 Institutes and Centers with a budget of almost $29 billion and 18,000 employees. Read the full bio sketch.