BRITISH INDIAN Consultant Cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, a long-standing campaigner for a more evidence-based approach to all Covid-19 vaccines, has been appointed as an adviser to US president Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
Dr Malhotra, a long-time ally of MAHA leaders such as health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Dr Jay Bhattacharya, joins MAHA Action – a grassroots, non-profit organisation focused on research, education, and legislative reform to improve public health.
He is set to relocate to Washington, D.C., to assume his new advisory role, which will centre on three key priorities: revising national dietary guidelines, cracking down on ultra-processed foods, and calling for a moratorium on mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.
“We absolutely can make America healthy again in this electoral term. I’m not doing this for political reasons but to reflect the evidence,” said Dr Malhotra.
He was graduated in medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 2001 and obtained his Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Cardiology from the same university in 2013.
As chief medical adviser to MAHA Action, Dr Malhotra will not be formally employed by the US federal government but will serve as a leading voice in shaping the organisation’s health policy agenda.
His appointment follows recent calls for a pause in the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, citing unresolved concerns about potential health risks.
“There is a pandemic of the vaccine-injured. We can’t make America healthy again if we don’t address this,” he added.
Dr Ramesh Mehta CBE, president of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), welcomed the appointment of a BAPIO member to such a prominent role in the United States.
“Dr Malhotra, a long-standing BAPIO member, has a proven track record of campaigning for the NHS to adopt healthier lifestyle policies in order to improve patient outcomes,” said Dr Mehta.
“He has been a vocal advocate for reducing the harms of medication overuse, tackling the causes of obesity, cutting down on sugar and fizzy drink consumption, and limiting processed foods in our diets. He has also worked to ensure that patients’ voices are heard in evidence-based treatment approaches.
“His advocacy is commendable, and his appointment to this position has the potential to positively impact the health of the American population,” he said.
(PTI)
Enumerators and supervisors attend a training session ahead of India's upcoming census 2027, in Bengaluru on April 16, 2026. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP via Getty Images)
