President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a health policy professor and economist at Stanford University, as his director of the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya, known for his criticism of COVID-19 lockdowns, would work with vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. If confirmed, Bhattacharya would oversee the $47.7 billion budget and 27 institutes of the NIH, focusing on addressing America’s health challenges.
Bhattacharya co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration in 2020, arguing against lockdown measures during the pandemic and advocating for achieving herd immunity through natural spread. He has been a vocal critic of lockdowns and predicted a much lower death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S.
His nomination has been met with criticism, including from former NIH director Dr. Francis Collins, who labeled the Great Barrington Declaration as a fringe element of epidemiology. However, Bhattacharya expressed gratitude for the nomination and pledged to reform scientific institutions to regain public trust and improve American health.
Trump also appointed Jim O’Neill as deputy secretary of the Health and Human Services under Kennedy, with O’Neill having previous experience at HHS. Overall, Trump hopes that these appointments will lead to increased focus on medical research and solutions to the nation’s health challenges.
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