Washington (GNP): NIH Fogarty International Center Director 2026 appointment was announced by National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, who selected Dr. Steven Schiff as the new director of the Fogarty International Center and NIH Associate Director for International Research. Dr. Schiff officially began his role on June 4, 2026, bringing nearly 40 years of experience in global health and medical research to the position.
Dr. Schiff is a pediatric neurosurgeon and global health researcher who currently serves at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He holds the position of Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Neurosurgery, vice chair for global health in the Department of Neurosurgery, and professor of epidemiology and electrical and computer engineering at the university.
A Respected Leader in Global Health Research
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya praised Dr. Schiff’s appointment, noting that he brings decades of experience in global health, epidemiology of microbial diseases, and pediatric neurological disorders to the NIH leadership team. Bhattacharya also described Dr. Schiff’s work on predictive personalized public health as groundbreaking, saying it would bring a sharp scientific mind to NIH.
As the new NIH Fogarty International Center Director 2026, Dr. Schiff will lead NIH’s global health research efforts by building partnerships between American and international researchers, strengthening ties among research institutions around the world, and training the next generation of global health scientists. He will oversee the center’s annual budget of around 95 million dollars, most of which supports research grants and training programs.
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Dr Schiff’s Achievements and Research Work
Dr. Schiff has authored nearly 250 scientific publications covering areas such as neural control engineering, sustainable health engineering, and global health. He founded the Center for Neural Engineering at Penn State University and helped build the Center for Global Neurosurgery at Yale University.
He received the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award in 2015 and the Transformative Award in 2018. His research led to the identification of neonatal paenibacilliosis, a serious infant brain infection found most commonly in resource limited settings and recently identified in infants in the United States as well.
Dr. Schiff completed his undergraduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his medical and doctoral degrees from Duke University. He also completed a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
