In a recent decision, President-elect Donald Trump has named Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a physician and economist from Stanford University, as the new director of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bhattacharya is known for his vocal criticism of certain U.S. public health strategies during the COVID-19 crisis, such as the enforcement of lockdowns and vaccine mandates. This move is part of a series of appointments by Trump that includes well-known skeptics of pandemic measures. In his second administration, he has also nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Martin Makary from Johns Hopkins University as the FDA Commissioner, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former Columbia University surgeon and television host, as CMS Administrator.
Announcing the appointment, Trump expressed confidence that Dr. Bhattacharya, working alongside RFK Jr., will enhance the NIH’s reputation for medical research, addressing significant health issues like chronic diseases. “Together, they will strive to Make America Healthy Again,” he stated.
Dr. Bhattacharya expressed gratitude and humility about the nomination via social media, stating his dedication to reforming scientific institutions to restore their reliability and leveraging top-tier science to promote public health across America.
In addition to his professorship at Stanford University, Dr. Bhattacharya leads the university’s Center on the Demography and Economics of Health and Aging. His scholarly pursuits have delved into both governmental responses to COVID-19 and the health conditions of at-risk populations, as shared on his LinkedIn profile.
Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, who also served as President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 adviser, commented on the nominations in a post on X. While he described Kennedy’s nomination as unsuitable, he acknowledged Bhattacharya, Makary, and Oz as intelligent and seasoned professionals, despite differing with their approaches. “Their success is essential,” Jha noted.