Bhattacharya Begins Tenure as 18th NIH Director
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
Dr. Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya took office on April 1 as the 18th director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). President Donald Trump nominated Bhattacharya for the position in November 2024 and the U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 25.
As director, Bhattacharya will oversee the nation’s medical research agency. He will play an instrumental role in shaping NIH’s activities and outlook and ensuring they align with the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission.
“Chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity continue to cause poor health outcomes in every community across the United States. Novel biomedical discoveries that enhance health and lengthen life are more vital than ever to our country’s future,” said Bhattacharya. “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.”
A renowned doctor, researcher and health economist, Bhattacharya previously held a tenured professorship in the medical school at Stanford University in California. His research has focused on population aging and chronic disease, particularly on the health and well-being of vulnerable populations. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Bhattacharya co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for opening schools and lifting lockdowns while better protecting older populations who were most vulnerable to the disease.
Encouraging different perspectives will be central to Bhattacharya’s approach to leading NIH as part of his larger mission to restore public trust in science. Alongside HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., he will champion innovative, cutting-edge research that fuels near-term solutions for patients while balancing investments in basic science.
Bhattacharya earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Stanford University. He then completed medical school and earned a Ph.D. in economics at Stanford. He replaces Dr. Matthew J. Memoli, who had served as acting NIH director since Jan. 22.