US President-elect Donald Trump has named Kolkata-born Jay Bhattacharya, a prominent critic of Covid policies, to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the premier medical research organization.
Trump announced on Tuesday night that he was “thrilled to nominate” Bhattacharya for the role of directing the nation’s medical research efforts, saying the position would enable “important discoveries that will improve health and save lives.”
Accepting the nomination, Bhattacharya said on X, “We will reform American scientific institutions so that they are worthy of trust again and will deploy the fruits of excellent science to make America healthy again!”
The NIH, an umbrella organization overseeing 27 separate research institutions focused on various diseases and health issues, operates with an annual budget of $48 billion.
Although the NIH directorship is not a cabinet-level position, it requires Senate approval and wields considerable global influence due to its groundbreaking research with cascading worldwide effects.
Trump emphasized that Bhattacharya would collaborate with Health Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore the NIH “to a gold standard of medical research as they examine the underlying causes of and solutions to America’s biggest health challenges, including a crisis of chronic illness and disease.”
Bhattacharya, a multidisciplinary academic at Stanford University, holds professorships in medicine, economics, and health policy, in addition to earning both a medical degree and a PhD in economics.
He gained national prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic by challenging government health establishment orthodoxy on extended lockdowns. Bhattacharya clashed with Anthony Fauci, who was widely regarded as the architect of the official pandemic response.
Bhattacharya has claimed he was the target of government censorship after Twitter (now X) placed him on its “Trends Blacklist” under government influence, limiting his reach on the platform.
Trump also noted on Truth Social that Bhattacharya “is a co-author of The Great Barrington Declaration, an alternative to lockdowns proposed in October 2020.”
The declaration, co-signed by doctors, scientists, and researchers, advocated loosening lockdown restrictions through a policy of “focused protection” for older adults and high-risk populations, while allowing younger, healthier individuals to resume normal activities and build immunity through natural infection.
This approach highlighted the political divide between Democrats, who generally favored strict lockdowns, and Republicans. States like Florida, governed by Republicans and influenced by the declaration, adopted looser restrictions with comparable outcomes to Democrat-led states like California, which imposed stricter lockdowns but faced higher school closures.
As the social and educational impacts of the lockdowns have become apparent, some former officials, including ex-NIH Director Francis Collins, have acknowledged that the narrow focus on lockdowns may have been misguided.
While Kennedy opposes vaccinations, Bhattacharya does not.
Kennedy’s advocacy for alternative treatments and unconventional theories has drawn criticism, but his and Trump’s emphasis on tackling chronic diseases has earned praise from some quarters.
(Inputs from IANS)
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