Professor Sir Stephen Powis is the National Medical Director of NHS England. In this role he is the most senior doctor within the National Health Service in England. As National Medical Director, he is also the highest level Responsible Officer within England.

Previously Sir Stephen held the Moorhead Chair of Renal Medicine at University College London from 1997 to 2017. His research interests included the human major histocompatibility system, transplant biology and the genetics of membranous nephropathy. Upon leaving UCL he became an honorary professor.

Sir Stephen was Medical Director (and latterly Group Chief Medical Officer) of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust from 2006 to 2018. He was also a member of the governing body of Merton Clinical Commissioning Group for five years and a Director of Healthcare Services Laboratories LLP. He is a past Chairman of the Association of UK Universities (AUKUH) Medical Directors Group and a past non-executive director of the North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, including a period of eight months as acting chairman.

He is a past chairman of the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) for Renal Medicine and a former board member of Medical Education England. He was Director of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education for UCLPartners from 2010 to 2013. He is a past treasurer and trustee of the British Transplantation Society and a former member of the UK Transplant Kidney Pancreas Advisory Group. He has also served as a member of the Renal Association Executive Committee.

Sir Stephen has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) since February 2020 and has advised senior ministers within HM Government throughout the pandemic. Sir Stephen was knighted in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to the NHS, particularly during covid-19.