There's a new head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirmed on June 9, weeks after lawmakers said the acting NIAID director had stepped down.
The website for NIAID, part of the NIH, was updated Tuesday to show that Dr. John Powers III is now the acting director of the institute.
Powers was previously NIAID's deputy director. Before that, he was the primary senior adviser to NIAID's director, advising leaders "on strategic initiatives in infectious diseases research, clinical trials, antimicrobial resistance, and the development and evaluation of medical interventions to improve health outcomes," according to his biography.
Powers received a medical degree from the Temple University School of Medicine and trained at Temple University Hospital and the University of Virginia.
Dr. Anthony Fauci led NIAID, which studies infectious and allergic diseases such as coronaviruses, for decades before retiring in late 2022. Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo took over and served through early 2025, when she was demoted. Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger, who worked closely with Fauci, was made acting director in April 2025.
“Other top officials at NIAID have also reportedly been reassigned and forced out of their positions in the midst of an emerging Ebola outbreak,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) said at the time. “We have a leadership vacuum at the world’s premier infectious disease institute, and across our health agencies, this is of great concern.”
An Ebola outbreak in Africa has grown to more than 100 confirmed deaths. There have been no confirmed or suspected cases in America.
The NIH has not responded to requests for comment on Taubenberger's departure. Taubenberger did not respond to an inquiry by time of publication.
The appointment of Powers comes after several longtime NIAID employees were charged with crimes.