Trump nominates Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH amid calls for reform

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford professor and critic of COVID-19 interventions, to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya aims to reform the agency, which funds biomedical research, and restore public trust in science. Bhattacharya, who has no prior government experience or background in clinical biomedical research, replaces Dr. Monica Bertagnolli. His controversial views during the pandemic included advocating for herd immunity and criticizing public health measures, which has drawn both support and criticism. If confirmed, Bhattacharya plans to implement term limits for institute directors and enhance research replication. He has expressed a desire to shift NIH's focus towards discovering truth in health research, moving away from what he describes as bureaucratic control.