Washington
US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Jay Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford University, as the new Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Wednesday. Bhattacharya, an expert in health policy and economics, will take charge of the country’s medical research agency with a mission to restore public trust in scientific institutions.
Bhattacharya, who holds both an MD and a PhD in Economics from Stanford, has a long history of research focused on health policy, especially concerning vulnerable populations. He has also co-authored the controversial Great Barrington Declaration, which argued against COVID-19 lockdowns. His work emphasizes the role of government programs, biomedical innovation, and economics in improving public health.
In his announcement, President Trump expressed confidence in Bhattacharya’s ability to lead the NIH and work with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to address America’s biggest health challenges, including chronic illness and disease. Trump’s campaign stressed that Bhattacharya’s leadership will restore the NIH to a “gold standard” of medical research.
Bhattacharya thanked Trump for the nomination and shared his vision to reform the NIH. He emphasized that his focus will be on making American scientific institutions more trustworthy and ensuring that scientific advances benefit the health of all Americans.
