Bhattacharya’s nomination as NIH director advances in Senate

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted to advance Jay Bhattacharya’s nomination as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Thursday. He now faces a glide-path to confirmation in the full Senate.

Bhattacharya will work with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his planned overhaul of public health agencies.  

The NIH is the biggest backer of biomedical research in the world, funding nearly $48 billion in scientific research through 50,000 grants to hundreds of thousands of researchers across academic institutions and hospitals.  

The Trump administration has already roiled the scientific community with efforts to slash support at major research institutes, including those at public universities.

Bhattacharya, a Stanford University health researcher and economist, was an outspoken critic of lockdown orders and other safety measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

He was pressed by senators last week on his stance on vaccine research, drug prices and recent mass firings and funding cuts of federal health agencies. He also spoke out in support of Kennedy, his would-be boss.

“Kennedy is not a scientist, but his good faith calls for better research and more debate echoed many Americans,” Bhattacharya told senators at his confirmation hearing.