According to sources, Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of health policy and epidemiologist at Stanford University, is a leading candidate to head the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Trump administration. The news was first reported by The Washington Post.
Bhattacharya has been a prominent figure opposing government lockdowns and restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Along with Harvard infectious disease expert Martin Kulldorff and Oxford epidemiology professor Sunetra Gupta, he co-authored the “Great Barrington Declaration” in October 2020, advocating for a laissez-faire approach to the pandemic.
In the declaration, they expressed concerns about the severe impact of current COVID-19 policies on physical and mental health. They argued that public health policies should not solely rely on preventive measures but also consider allowing younger and healthier individuals to acquire immunity through natural infection, as the chances and severity of illness for this group are relatively low.
Bhattacharya and his co-authors have been vocal opponents of mask mandates. The declaration gained hundreds of thousands of signatures, calling for an end to the lockdown measures implemented in 2020.
President-elect Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), who will oversee the NIH. Kennedy has stated his intention to dismiss approximately 600 NIH employees on his first day in office.
If Bhattacharya is ultimately nominated by Trump and confirmed by Congress to lead the agency, he would be responsible for overseeing 27 institutes and centers dealing with issues ranging from cancer and aging to drug abuse, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases previously led by Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The NIH has an annual budget of $48 billion, primarily allocated to medical research on cancer, vaccines, and various diseases. Research institutions nationwide submit proposals for funding through competitive processes.
Furthermore, the agency conducts its own research projects in laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland, with thousands of scientists.
Bhattacharya, in an interview with Epoch Times’ “American Thought Leaders,” stated that he views COVID-19 policies as the “largest public health mistake in history,” emphasizing the direct economic harm and indirect effects on children due to these policies.
A study released by the University of California, Riverside in March 2023 found that lockdown measures alone resulted in over a 5% decline in the U.S. domestic Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a 7.5% decrease in consumer spending.
Meanwhile, NIH research indicates that COVID-19 policies have deprived children under five years of age of opportunities to interact with others, learn social skills, and establish emotional connections. The NIH found a significant increase in developmental delays, learning disabilities, and behavioral disorders among these children following the implementation of COVID-19 policies.
Bhattacharya, in an interview with Epoch Times, holds senior health officials responsible for the errors in COVID-19 policies, accusing them of enforcing a non-existent medical consensus to determine pandemic response strategies.