The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Indian-origin Jay Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford School of Medicine, as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The Senate confirmed Bhattacharya to head the NIH on a party-line vote of 53-47.
Bhattacharya is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a professor of health policy at Stanford University, and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute, according to a previous nomination statement from US President Donald Trump.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bhattacharya rose to fame among many Americans for opposing masking orders, school closures, and other actions taken to slow the virus’s spread.
In the Great Barrington Declaration, which was co-authored by Bhattacharya, over 900,000 public health and disease specialists argued in favour of using herd immunity to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter strongly opposed lockdowns and advocated for “those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection.”
Mitch McConnell, a Republican senator from Kentucky, congratulated Bhattacharya on his confirmation as NIH Director and expressed faith in his ability to lead.
What Republican Senator Said?
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), McConnell posted, “Voted today to confirm Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. With an extensive background in medical research, I expect @DrJBhattacharya to provide sound leadership at the @NIH”.
Voted today to confirm Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. With an extensive background in medical research, I expect @DrJBhattacharya to provide sound leadership at the @NIH. pic.twitter.com/R9E2NSBPj1
— U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (@SenMcConnell) March 25, 2025
