In a major move to address America’s health crisis, President-elect Donald Trump announced late Tuesday he will nominate Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to serve as the next Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Bhattacharya, Trump said, is poised to lead the nation’s medical research efforts in collaboration with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., aiming to make groundbreaking discoveries that will improve public health and save lives.
Trump noted Bhattacharya is a Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University, where he also directs the Stanford Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging. He holds an MD and PhD in Economics from Stanford, and his research focuses on the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, examining the impact of government programs, biomedical innovation, and economics on public health outcomes. As a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research and a Senior Fellow at several esteemed Stanford institutions, Dr. Bhattacharya brings an exceptional depth of expertise to his new role, Trump added.
A key figure in the national debate on COVID-19, Dr. Bhattacharya was a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, which proposed an alternative to lockdowns in October 2020.
The president-elect said Bhattacharya’s extensive body of work, published in top-tier journals across medicine, economics, law, and public health, makes him a leading voice on health policy.
Together with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump said Dr. Bhattacharya will focus on restoring the NIH to a gold standard in medical research.
The incoming chief executive added the duo aims to tackle America’s most pressing health challenges, including the growing crisis of chronic illness and disease. Their vision for NIH is centered on examining the root causes of these health issues and developing innovative solutions to address them, Trump said.
The President-elect expressed confidence that Dr. Bhattacharya’s leadership will reinvigorate the NIH and help “Make America Healthy Again,” ensuring the U.S. remains at the forefront of medical innovation and health improvement.
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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Image “Dr. Jay Bhattacharya” by ZDoggMD.
