Bhattacharya Emerges as Favourite to Lead USD 50 Billion NIH Agency Under Trump Administration

Stanford University-trained physician and economist Jay Bh attachmentary has reportedly emerged as the presumptive favourite of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team for the post of next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a nearly USD 50 billion agency that oversees the nation's biomedical research.

According to reports, Dr. Bhattacharya met this week with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been appointed by Mr Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, citing three people. The meeting took place at a time when the president-elect's transition team is looking to overhaul NIH, shifting its focus towards funding more innovative research.

Dr. Bhattacharya recently gained international attention for co-writing an open letter known as the Great Barrington Declaration in 2020, calling for rolling back coronavirus-related shutdowns while providing "focused protections" for vulnerable populations such as older Americans. The proposal sparked controversy and criticism from experts worldwide, but also garnered support from some Republican politicians.

The report suggests that Dr. Bhattacharya's ideas to revamp NIH align with the Trump administration's vision of healthcare reform. As a prominent critic of the federal government's COVID-19 response, his views have drawn attention in recent months.

While Mr Trump's transition team has yet to make an official announcement on who will lead NIH, it is clear that Dr. Bhattacharya is currently at the top of the shortlist. The decision is not yet final, however, and may be influenced by the President-elect himself ultimately announcing the appointment.

As one of Stanford University's leading health policy experts, Dr. Bhattacharya has published numerous articles in top peer-reviewed scientific journals and holds a PhD in economics from Stanford University, alongside an MD degree from the same institution.