Jay Bhattacharya

Jay Bhattacharya is the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) who has recently been appointed as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This appointment makes him the fourth leader of the CDC in a year. Bhattacharya previously rose to prominence as an opponent of COVID-19 mitigations. His dual role at the NIH and CDC is raising concerns among NIH staff, who fear his attention will be divided, leaving critical issues at the NIH unaddressed. Experts are also expressing concern that he may push an agenda aligned with controversial figures like RFK Jr. The CDC is currently facing turmoil, including the abrupt resignation of its principal deputy director, the postponement of vaccine panel meetings due to legal challenges, and the invalidation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) members' roles. The NIH, under Bhattacharya's leadership, has also ended funding for research using human fetal tissue from elective abortions.