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Jay Bhattacharya takes office as NIH Director
Bhattacharya succeeds Matthew J. Memoli, who has served as acting NIH director since Jan. 22
Jay Bhattacharya / NIH
Indian-American health researcher Jay Bhattacharya, officially assumed office as the 18th director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on April 1.
His appointment follows a nomination by President Donald Trump on November 26, 2024, and confirmation by the U.S. Senate on March 25.
Also Read: Jay Bhattacharya confirmed as NIH Director
As director of the nation’s leading medical research agency, Bhattacharya will oversee NIH’s scientific initiatives and ensure alignment with the administration’s Make America Healthy Again Commission.
"Under Dr. Bhattacharya’s leadership, NIH will restore its commitment to gold-standard science,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “I’m excited to work with Dr. Bhattacharya to ensure NIH research aligns with our administration’s priorities—especially tackling the chronic disease epidemic and helping to Make America Healthy Again.”
Bhattacharya emphasized the urgency of addressing chronic illnesses. “Chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity continue to cause poor health outcomes in every community across the United States,” he said.
“As NIH director, I will build on the agency’s long and illustrious history of supporting breakthroughs in biology and medicine by fostering gold-standard research and innovation to address the chronic disease crisis,” he added.
A physician, researcher, and health economist, Bhattacharya previously served as a tenured professor at Stanford University. His research has focused on aging and chronic disease, with an emphasis on vulnerable populations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which advocated for reopening schools and lifting lockdowns while prioritizing protection for older populations.
Bhattacharya succeeds Matthew J. Memoli, who has served as acting NIH director since Jan. 22.
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