Overview
- Bhattacharya will remain NIH director while serving as acting CDC chief until a Senate-confirmed successor is in place, with federal law setting a late‑March deadline unless a nominee is pending.
- Jim O’Neill, who had been acting CDC director, left HHS last week and is expected to be nominated to lead the National Science Foundation, according to administration officials.
- Former CDC leaders and public‑health experts warn that one person running both NIH and the CDC could weaken the agency’s readiness to respond to health threats.
- The appointment follows months of turbulence at CDC after Susan Monarez was fired shortly after confirmation, triggering senior resignations, as the White House and HHS pursue a midterm‑oriented reshuffle.
- Bhattacharya, a co‑author of the Great Barrington Declaration, recently told Congress measles vaccination is the best response to the current outbreak and said he has seen no evidence that any single vaccine causes autism.