The U.S. Senate has confirms Indian American scientist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as its 18th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in a historic move. The confirmation vote, held on March 25, 2025, cleared by a 53-47 majority on the official U.S. Senate website.
Dr. Bhattacharya, professor at Health Policy at Stanford University, was selected as nominee of President Donald Trump in Nov 2024. He has gained fame for his work in public health and his involvement as part of the Great Barrington Declaration carrying idea of targeted protection during the COVID-19 pandemic against a broader system of lockdowns.
As Dr. Bhattacharya testified before the Senate on March 5, he emphasized the importance of rebuilding faith in public health agencies. “The NIH should fund science that’s replicable, reproducible and generalizable,” he stated, citing the doubt around the dependability of twenty first century biomedical analysis. 
President Trump welcomed Dr. Bhattacharya’s confirmation, saying that he was confident he would “lead the kind of groundbreaking medical research and prioritise America’s chronic health needs.” Dr. Bhattacharya said he would help further the administration’s “Making America Healthy Again” agenda with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Stanford Medicine hailed Dr. Bhattacharya, saying his public service was “praiseworthy.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also came out in favor, expecting “sound leadership” during his administration.
Dr. Bhattacharya has an MD and a Ph.D in Economics from Stanford University, and a very extensive track record of published peer-reviewed research in several areas.
