John H. Powers III, M.D.
Dr. John H. Powers III is Deputy Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and currently serves as the Acting Director of NIAID. Previously, he was Principal Senior Advisor to the Director of NIAID and Director of Collaborative Research with Leidos Biomedical Research in support of the Office of the Director at NIAID. In this role, he advised senior leadership on strategic initiatives in infectious diseases research, clinical trials, antimicrobial resistance, and the development and evaluation of medical interventions to improve health outcomes.
Dr Powers is an attending physician in infectious diseases at the NIH Clinical Center and holds academic appointments as Professor of Clinical Medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
Dr. Powers is a physician-scientist whose work bridges clinical medicine, biomedical research, regulatory science, as well as teaching and mentoring. Earlier in his career he served at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the Lead Medical Officer for antimicrobial drug development and resistance initiatives. At FDA he contributed to national regulatory policy and helped develop modern approaches to clinical trial design and evidence standards for antimicrobial therapies and other medical interventions to diagnose, prevent and treat infectious diseases.
His research has focused on improving the scientific foundations for clinical trials in infectious diseases, advancing patient-centered outcome measures, and strengthening the evidence base for therapies to ensure their utility in clinical practice by improving patient outcomes. Dr. Powers has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters and has served on numerous national and international advisory committees, including collaborations with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and multiple U.S. federal interagency initiatives addressing antimicrobial resistance and global health security including co-chair of the U.S. Inter-agency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Dr. Powers has received numerous honors recognizing his contributions to science, public health, and mentorship. These include the Medal of Honor from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Medal of Honor from the U.S. Public Health Service for contributions to clinical outcomes research. He has also received the Norman P. Salzman Mentoring Award and the FDA Excellence in Mentoring Award for his leadership in training physician-scientists and clinical investigators.
Dr. Powers received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine. He completed residency training and served as Chief Resident in internal medicine at Temple University Hospital and fellowship training in infectious diseases at the University of Virginia.