Trump Nominates Jay Bhattacharya as NIH Director, Drawing Public Health Concerns

The Stanford professor and critic of pandemic measures is known for advocating herd immunity and opposing vaccine mandates.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford health policy professor, as the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Bhattacharya, a co-author of the controversial Great Barrington Declaration, promoted herd immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic and opposed public health measures like lockdowns and mask mandates.
Critics, including epidemiologists and public health experts, have raised concerns about his lack of experience in biomedical research and his history of spreading misinformation about vaccines.
If confirmed, Bhattacharya would work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, to reform U.S. health agencies.
Supporters argue Bhattacharya’s nomination reflects a push for significant reforms in public health institutions, while opponents warn of potential erosion of trust in science-based health policies.