President-Elect Trump Nominates Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to Lead NIH

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of health policy at Stanford University, as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Notably, Bhattacharya was a critic of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and was the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, Murthy v. Missouri, where he argued that he was “unfairly censored” on social media by the government for his views on the issue. While the case gained national attention, it was ultimately unsuccessful in a 6-3 ruling.

About the nomination, Trump said, “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.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Bhattacharya would inherit the position from Dr. Monica Bertagnolli who was appointed by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate in November 2023 (see previous COSSA coverage).

Stay tuned to COSSA’s continued coverage of the confirmation process.