Jay Bhattacharya Biography

Jayanta "Jay" Bhattacharya is an American physician-scientist and health economist. The 18th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was appointed in April 2025. Hailing from Kolkata, India, he is the first Indian American to lead the NIH. He earned an M.D. and Ph.D from Stanford University. Previously, Bhattacharya was a professor of medicine, economics, and health research policy at Stanford University, where he directed the Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging. His research focuses on the economics of healthcare, vulnerable populations, government programs, and biomedical innovation.

Bhattacharya gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic as a co-author of the "Great Barrington Declaration" (October 2020). He advocated for "focused protection" of high-risk groups while allowing younger, healthier individuals to resume normal activities, aiming for herd immunity. He criticized lockdowns and mask mandates, calling them catastrophic for public health due to their social and economic harms.

Nominated by President Donald Trump in November 2024 and confirmed by the Senate in March 2025, Bhattacharya now oversees the NIH's $35 billion annual budget for biomedical research. He aims to restore public trust in science, promote innovative research, and address chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, aligning with the "Make America Healthy Again" initiative under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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