Professor Sir Stephen Powis is a nephrologist whose clinical specialty is kidney disease. He held the Moorhead Chair of Renal Medicine at University College London from 1997 to 2017 and was previously Medical Director of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
He served as National Medical Director of NHS England from January 2018 to July 2025, the most senior doctor within the NHS. In this role he led national programmes on cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes and prevention, and co-chaired the National Quality Board.
During the COVID-19 pandemic he played a key role in the NHS response, serving on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and advising ministers. He also oversaw the deployment of COVID antiviral therapeutics at NHS England and led England’s healthcare contribution to the UK government’s antimicrobial resistance strategy.