Monday, March 30, 2026

Dr. Elisabeth Armstrong named NIH Chief of Staff

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that Elisabeth Armstrong, DBe, has been named chief of staff in the NIH Office of the Director.  As chief of staff, Dr. Armstrong will oversee the Office of the Director. She will provide strategic counsel to the NIH Director and other key leaders within NIH, in addition to managing process, operations, and information flows.

"Dr. Armstrong is an outstanding addition to NIH's leadership team. Her unique background and range of public and private sector experience will help drive positive action and innovation at NIH," said NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Armstrong previously served as Director of the Office of the Executive Secretariat at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 2025 providing strategic guidance to the FDA Commissioner and senior leadership on policy, agency-wide initiatives, decisions, and priorities. In this position, she designed and oversaw information flows throughout the agency -- designing efficient informational pathways and implementing complex cross-agency projects. She also directed the development of comprehensive briefing materials, executive correspondence, and high-level reports -- in addition to the management of thousands of documents including guidances, regulations, memoranda, and Reports to Congress.

Prior to the FDA, Dr. Armstrong worked in healthcare policy equity research for Raymond James & Associates' Global Equities and Investment; held bioethics positions with Eventide Asset Management's Biotech Team, Reality Labs' Brain Computer Interface Team (Meta), and CommonSpirit Health; consulted as an advisor for biotech investors, biotechnology companies, and hospital systems; and advanced strategic investments, integrations, and communications for the primary care company Proactive MD as it grew to serve tens of thousands of patients throughout the country. Prior to this, she worked as an EMMY-nominated broadcast journalist in markets across the southeast U.S. and filed reports for national and international news outlets including FOX News Channel and i24 in Tel Aviv.  

Dr. Armstrong earned a doctorate in bioethics and health policy from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, a Master of Science degree in drug development and product management from University of California San Diego, a Master of Science degree in bioethics from Columbia University in the City of New York, and dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and philosophy from Colorado Christian University, Lakewood, where she also served on faculty. Dr. Armstrong holds the Healthcare Ethics Consultant Certification from the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities and has served as a member of the advisory board for Bioethics International.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit https://www.nih.gov.

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