John Howard (NIOSH director)

John Howard
Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
In office
2002–2008, 2009–present
Preceded byLinda Rosenstock
Personal details
Born
John Jackson Howard
EducationMD, Loyola University; MPH, Harvard; JD, UCLA; LLM and MBA, George Washington University
ProfessionPhysician, professor, public health administrator
Known forDirector of NIOSH, Chief of Cal/OSHA

John Jackson Howard is an American physician, professor, and public health administrator who served a 6-year term as the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and was appointed to be a special coordinator to respond to the health effects of the September 11 attacks. In this role, Howard advocated for rescue workers, introducing a program to provide screening, medical exams, and treatment for them. In 2009, Howard was again appointed as director of NIOSH and as World Trade Center Programs coordinator for HHS. In 2011, Howard became the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program. In 2016, he became the first person to be appointed to a third 6-year term as NIOSH director, and was reappointed to a fourth term in 2021.