President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University health policy professor, to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya, known for his opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns, co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which highlighted the negative health impacts of extended restrictions. “It’s time to reform American science to make America healthy again,” Bhattacharya told The Epoch Times after the announcement on Nov. 26.
Bhattacharya’s nomination aligns with Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the NIH. Both nominations require Senate confirmation. If confirmed, Bhattacharya would serve under Kennedy, who has pledged to overhaul NIH leadership, stating plans to fire hundreds of employees to address systemic issues. Kennedy has also promised to prioritize research into rising rates of autism, autoimmune diseases, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
The NIH, the world’s largest biomedical research funder, manages a $47.3 billion budget, allocating most of it through competitive grants to over 300,000 researchers nationwide. The agency oversees 27 specialized institutes, including the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Currently, Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, an oncology expert, serves as NIH director, a role she assumed in 2023 under President Biden. Her predecessor, Dr. Francis Collins, led the agency from 2009 to 2021.
Bhattacharya’s nomination signals a potential shift in federal health policy, reflecting Trump’s ongoing criticism of prior pandemic responses and a broader call for reform in American biomedical research.
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