Dr. John Powers III has been appointed acting director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The move comes amid recent Hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks and follows the departure of the previous acting director, Jeffery Taubenberger, who stepped down after his April 2025 appointment. NIAID — the NIH's second-largest institute with a budget exceeding $6.5 billion — will rely on Powers' experience in strategic infectious-disease research, clinical trials and antimicrobial resistance as it advances treatment and prevention efforts.
NIH Names Dr. John Powers III Acting Director Of NIAID As Virus Outbreaks Raise Concerns
FILE PHOTO: United States National Institutes of Health logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
The National Institutes of Health announced on its website that Dr. John Powers III has been named acting director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Powers, who currently serves as deputy director of NIAID, steps into the role as public health officials contend with recent outbreaks of diseases including Hantavirus and Ebola.
Leadership Context
NIAID is the NIH's second-largest institute, overseeing a budget of more than $6.5 billion and playing a central role in the research and development of treatments and prevention measures for infectious diseases. The institute has been without a permanent director since Jeanne Marrazzo was dismissed last year.
Former acting director Jeffery Taubenberger, who was appointed in April 2025, stepped down in May 2025, creating the immediate vacancy Powers will now fill in an acting capacity.
Powers' Experience and Responsibilities
Dr. Powers previously served as the principal senior advisor to the director of NIAID and as director of collaborative research at Leidos Biomedical Research. In those roles he advised senior leadership on strategic initiatives spanning infectious-disease research, clinical trials, antimicrobial resistance, and the development and evaluation of medical interventions to improve health outcomes.
What to watch: As acting director, Powers will be expected to help coordinate NIAID’s response to ongoing outbreaks, oversee research priorities, and support the development of medical countermeasures.
Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid
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