Trump selects Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH as part of health policy overhaul

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya, a critic of COVID lockdowns, aims to restore the agency's reputation in medical research alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who will head the Department of Health and Human Services. Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor, co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which argued against lockdowns and promoted herd immunity. His nomination reflects ongoing debates about public health policies from the COVID pandemic era. Senate approval is required for his appointment. Trump also announced Jim O’Neill as deputy secretary of HHS. O’Neill is the only appointee with prior experience in the health bureaucracy, while other picks, including Kennedy, are outsiders aiming to reform public health agencies.