Trump Picks Frequent NIH Critic Bhattacharya As Next Director

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection for the next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), epidemiologist Jay Bhattacharya, has been a frequent critic of the agency and as such could be well-positioned to oversee major reforms called for by other Trump nominees and congressional Republicans. Bhattacharya pledged to “reform American scientific institutions,” and was quickly praised by HHS chief-nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wants to dedicate half of NIH’s research budget to “preventative, alternative and holistic” health. The selection...