US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly preferring Jay Bhattacharya, an economist from Kolkata who studied medicine at Stanford University, to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to several media reports.
Earlier this week, Bhattacharya visited Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after Trump picked him to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a major US health agency that manages NIH and other health agencies. According to The Washington Post, he impressed RFK Jr with his plans to restructure the NIH, which is in charge of the nation's biomedical research. However, the Trump transition team has not made any official remarks.
According to the reports, the economist of Indian descent has advocated for the NIH to refocus its efforts on boosting funding for creative research and diminishing the power of some of its longest-serving career officials. The NIH sponsors numerous initiatives to create medications and treatments, administers clinical trials on its site in Maryland, and distributes research funds.
Trump, who has a history of occasionally ignoring the recommendations, has the last say over who would run the NIH. Trump's transition team has reportedly considered other applicants for the position.
{{/usCountry}}Trump, who has a history of occasionally ignoring the recommendations, has the last say over who would run the NIH. Trump's transition team has reportedly considered other applicants for the position.
{{/usCountry}}Who is Dr Jay Bhattacharya?
Born in Kolkata in 1968, Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and an esteemed professor of health policy at Stanford University.
He received his MD and PhD from Stanford University. Bhattacharya makes a substantial contribution to the domains of economic research and health policy in his role as Director of Stanford's Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging.
According to the official Stanford website, Bhattacharya's research examines the health and well-being of those who are vulnerable, with a focus on the interplay of economics, biomedical innovation, and government initiatives.
In addition to evaluating governmental responses to the epidemic, his new study explores the epidemiology of COVID-19. Bhattacharya has advocated for the agency to refocus its efforts on sponsoring more creative research and for some of its longest-serving career officials to have less power, as per Washington Post.