Trump’s pick to lead NIH, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, confirmed by Senate

The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, in a party-line vote on Tuesday evening. This follows the approval from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which also voted along party lines to advance Bhattacharya, leading to the full Senate vote.

Dr. Bhattacharya, a physician, Stanford professor of medicine, and senior fellow at the university’s Institute for Economic Policy Research, gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for his stance against lockdown measures and vaccine mandates. He was one of the co-authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, advocating against widespread COVID lockdowns and promoting the efficacy of natural immunity for low-risk individuals over vaccination.

During his confirmation process, Dr. Bhattacharya faced questions from the Senate HELP Committee regarding his potential role as NIH director. He was particularly pressed on President Trump’s decision to cut certain research funds at NIH, including a 15% cap on indirect research costs. While Dr. Bhattacharya did not explicitly disagree with the cuts, he emphasized the importance of transparency and ensuring that every NIH researcher has the necessary resources to advance health outcomes.

In addition to addressing the budget cuts, Dr. Bhattacharya outlined a new, decentralized vision for future research at NIH. He emphasized embracing dissenting ideas, promoting transparency, and focusing on research topics that directly benefit the health outcomes of Americans. He also expressed a desire to eliminate “frivolous” research efforts that do not contribute significantly to improving health outcomes.

Prior to his confirmation, Dr. Bhattacharya, along with other scientists including Dr. Marty Makary, Trump’s pick for the FDA, launched a new research journal called the Journal of the Academy of Public Health (JAPH). The journal aims to stimulate scientific discourse by publishing peer reviews of prominent studies from other journals that do not make their peer reviews publicly available.

Dr. Bhattacharya’s confirmation as NIH director marks a shift towards a more transparent and outcome-focused approach to research. His commitment to promoting scientific discourse and prioritizing research that directly benefits the health of Americans signals a new direction for the agency under his leadership.