President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a staunch critic of the COVID-19 lockdown era, as the new Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Trump made the announcement Tuesday night, declaring that Bhattacharya’s leadership, in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will usher in a new era of medical research grounded in transparency, innovation, and trust.
According to the press release:
“I am thrilled to nominate Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, to serve as Director of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bhattacharya will work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives.
Jay is a Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research, and a Senior Fellow by courtesy at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute, and the Hoover Institution.
He directs Stanford’s Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging. His Research focuses on the Health and Well-Being of vulnerable populations, emphasizing the role of Government programs, Biomedical Innovation, and Economics.
Jay is a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, an alternative to lockdowns proposed in October 2020.
His peer-reviewed research has been published in Economics, Statistics, Legal, Medical, Public Health, and Health Policy Journals. He holds an MD and PhD in Economics from Stanford University.
Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a Gold Standard of Medical Research as they examine the underlying causes of, and solutions to, America’s biggest Health challenges, including our Crisis of Chronic Illness and Disease. Together, they will work hard to Make America Healthy Again!”
Dr. responded on this nomination, stating, “I am honored and humbled by President Donald Trump’s nomination of me to be the next NIH director. We will reform American scientific institutions so that they are worthy of trust again and will deploy the fruits of excellent science to make America healthy again!”
I am honored and humbled by President @realDonaldTrump‘s nomination of me to be the next @NIH director. We will reform American scientific institutions so that they are worthy of trust again and will deploy the fruits of excellent science to make America healthy again! https://t.co/FrLmYznhfw
— Jay Bhattacharya (@DrJBhattacharya) November 27, 2024
Dr. Bhattacharya, a professor of health policy at Stanford University and co-author of The Great Barrington Declaration, rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for his principled and data-driven opposition to government overreach.
The Declaration, signed by thousands of scientists and public health experts, called for an end to blanket lockdowns and emphasized “focused protection” of vulnerable populations.
Bhattacharya’s advocacy for individual freedoms and evidence-based public health strategies set him apart from the medical establishment that championed draconian mandates. For this, he faced relentless backlash, including being branded a “conspiracy theorist” and targeted by social media censorship. He was then investigated by his university.
Dr. Bhattacharya was also a co-plaintiff, along with TGP’s Jim Hoft, in the Murthy v. Missouri case, which was heard in front of the Supreme Court in March.
The plaintiffs are still gathering evidence in this ongoing case labeled the free speech case of the century.
Here’s my interview with Dr. Bhattacharya earlier this year. Watch:
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