Indian-American Jay Bhattacharya Takes Charge as US NIH Director, Pledges ‘Gold-Standard Science’
Washington: The US National Institutes of Health (NIH), welcomed its new Director on Tuesday as Jayanta ‘Jay’ Bhattacharya officially assumed office as its 18th leader.
A senior Indian-American figure in the Donald Trump administration, Dr Bhattacharya was nominated in November and confirmed by the US Senate on March 25. Among Indian Americans in this administration, Second Lady Usha Vance holds the highest-ranking position.
The NIH stated that he will "play an instrumental role in shaping the agency’s activities and outlook and ensuring they align with the President’s Make America Healthy Again agenda."
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr praised his appointment, saying, "Under Dr Bhattacharya’s leadership, NIH will restore its commitment to gold-standard science."
He further added, "I'm excited to work with Dr Bhattacharya to ensure NIH research aligns with our Administration’s priorities, especially tackling the chronic disease epidemic and helping to Make America Healthy Again."
Dr Bhattacharya, in his first remarks as NIH Director, emphasized the need to combat chronic illnesses. "Chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity continue to cause poor health outcomes in every community across the United States. Novel biomedical discoveries that enhance health and lengthen life are more vital than ever to our country’s future."
"As NIH Director, I will build on the agency’s long and illustrious history of supporting breakthroughs in biology and medicine by fostering gold-standard research and innovation to address the chronic disease crisis," he added.
Born in Kolkata, India, Dr Bhattacharya earned BA and MA degrees in economics at Stanford University before completing a doctorate in medicine and a PhD in economics from the same institution.
He gained national attention during the Covid-19 pandemic for publicly opposing lockdowns and mask mandates. In a widely cited paper, the "Great Barrington Declaration," co-authored with two other experts, he wrote: "We have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing Covid-19 policies."
Rishika Verma is a graduate from Delhi University. She joined Medical Dialogues in 2023. Her interest lies in reporting health news, hospital updates, health updates, medical case studies, and advancements in healthcare, etc.