Jay Bhattacharya named to lead top health institute by Trump

US president-elect Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American scientist Jay Bhattacharya as the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the leading health research and funding body in the United States.

Bhattacharya is the first Indian-American to be selected by Trump for a high-ranking administrative role.

Previously, Trump had announced Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, a newly created voluntary role, along with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Unlike Bhattacharya’s position, Ramaswamy’s role does not require Senate confirmation.

“I am thrilled to nominate Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, to serve as director of the National Institutes of Health. Dr Bhattacharya will work in cooperation with Robert F Kennedy Jr to direct the Nation's Medical Research and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives,” Trump said in a statement.

He added, “Together, Jay and RFK Jr will 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 our Crisis of Chronic Illness and Disease. Together, they will work hard to Make America Healthy Again.”

🚨 NEW: President Trump announces the nomination of @DrJBhattacharya to Director of the National Institutes of Health. pic.twitter.com/gAweeO8jBC

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 27, 2024

Bhattacharya is a professor of Health Policy at Stanford University and holds multiple affiliations, including being a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. He also directs Stanford’s Centre for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging.

His research explores the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, with a focus on the impact of government programmes, biomedical innovation, and economics. He co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration in October 2020, which proposed alternatives to lockdowns.

Trump also noted that Bhattacharya’s work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals across economics, public health, and health policy. Bhattacharya earned both his MD and PhD in Economics from Stanford University.

In addition, Trump nominated Jim O’Neill as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services to work with Robert F Kennedy Jr on reforming the department.

“O’Neill will oversee all operations and improve Management, Transparency, and Accountability to Make America Healthy Again,” Trump said.

O’Neill previously served as the principal associate deputy secretary of HHS, where he worked on FDA reforms, food safety regulations, and medical device safety measures.

(With inputs from PTI)