Overview
- Bhattacharya confirmed he will temporarily lead the CDC while remaining NIH director until the president nominates a permanent CDC chief who is confirmed by the Senate.
- His appointment follows the departure of acting CDC head Jim O’Neill last Friday, and administration officials say O’Neill is expected to be nominated to lead the National Science Foundation.
- The CDC has seen rapid turnover, including the firing of Senate-confirmed director Susan Monarez after 29 days and subsequent resignations by several senior officials.
- Bhattacharya, a physician and health economist known for co-authoring the Great Barrington Declaration, has criticized broad COVID-19 restrictions and recently endorsed childhood measles vaccination in Senate testimony.
- The move comes as the administration restructures federal health agencies, cutting staff, closing offices, reassigning programs to a new Administration for a Healthy America, and leaving many NIH institutes without permanent leaders.