NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Washington, DC, November 27, 2024: President-elect Donald J. Trump has named Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, as his nominee for the position of Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Bhattacharya gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for co-authoring the controversial Great Barrington Declaration, which criticized widespread lockdowns and advocated for a targeted approach to protecting vulnerable populations. The nomination signals a shift in the nation’s approach to medical research and public health under the Trump-Vance administration.
President-elect Trump emphasized that Dr. Bhattacharya would work alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “direct the Nation’s Medical Research” and address key health challenges, including chronic illnesses and diseases. The administration aims to bring a renewed focus to innovation, equity, and accountability within the NIH.
“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!,” he said in a statement released on X.
Dr. Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford University, is a leading expert in health policy and economics. He directs the Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging and holds key roles at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Hoover Institution, and Freeman Spogli Institute. His research emphasizes the health and economic well-being of vulnerable populations, examining government programs, biomedical innovation, and systemic healthcare issues.
The Great Barrington Declaration, co-authored by Dr. Bhattacharya in October 2020, sparked global debate on public health responses to the pandemic. While some hailed its focus on protecting at-risk populations, others criticized it as undermining scientific consensus on measures like lockdowns and social distancing.
In 2024, Dr. Bhattacharya received the prestigious Bradley Prize for his contributions to public health policy. He pledged to donate the prize funds to Collateral Global, a UK-based charity dedicated to studying the pandemic’s impact on marginalized groups.
Cover photos of Jay Bhattacharya and NIH courtesy of Wikipedia.
