Calcutta-born physician and professor at Stanford University health policyPhD Jai BhattacharyaPresident-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering becoming the next director of the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health), according to the Washington Post.
If appointed, Bhattacharya will run the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a major medical research agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Policy direction, especially after his nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of State.
In a post on X, Trump announced Kennedy’s nomination to lead HHS and criticized “industrial food and pharmaceutical companies” for spreading misinformation. Kennedy, a prominent environmental advocate and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, has long advocated for public health reforms.
Bhattacharya’s vision for NIH emphasized a transformative shift in priorities. In a recent meeting with Kennedy, Bhattacharya reportedly proposed increasing funding for innovative research programs while reducing the influence of long-serving career officials. His reform ideas resonated with Trump’s transition team and strengthened his candidacy.
Who is Jay Bhattacharya?
The Stanford University professor is a seasoned academic with expertise in both medicine and economics. He is also a fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research and serves as director of the Center for Demography and the Economics of Health and Aging at Stanford University. His research focuses on health policy, government planning, and the economics of biomedical innovation, with a particular focus on disadvantaged populations.
Dr. Bhattacharya has been at the forefront of critical research, including the epidemiology of Covid-19 and analysis of policy responses to the pandemic. His broader academic work covers population aging, health care spending in developed countries, and physician performance evaluation in relation to insurance company payments.
He has authored more than 135 peer-reviewed articles in the fields of medicine, law, economics, epidemiology, and public health. An alumnus of Stanford University, he holds master’s and doctoral degrees in economics.
Bhattacharya’s appointment as NIH director would mark a continuation of this reform approach, focused on reshaping the agency’s research priorities and management structure.
