Trump nominates Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH and reform agency

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford health policy professor and critic of COVID-19 measures, to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya aims to reform the agency, which has a $47.5 billion budget. Bhattacharya, who has no prior government experience or background in clinical biomedical research, would replace Dr. Monica Bertagnolli. Critics question his qualifications, citing his controversial views during the pandemic and lack of expertise in public health. If confirmed, Bhattacharya plans to change NIH's leadership structure and enhance research reliability. He has previously advocated for less restrictive COVID-19 policies and criticized the CDC and FDA's pandemic responses.