President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced his selection of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor and outspoken critic of COVID-19 lockdowns and mask mandates, to head the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya's nomination comes amid a series of controversial health appointments by Trump, including anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Collaboration with Kennedy on Health Reform

Trump emphasized the collaborative efforts Bhattacharya and Kennedy will undertake to reshape U.S. public health policy.

“Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a gold standard of medical research as they examine the underlying causes of, and solutions to, America's biggest health challenges, including our crisis of chronic illness and disease,” Trump said in a statement.

Bhattacharya expressed his gratitude on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “We will reform American scientific institutions so that they are worthy of trust again and will deploy the fruits of excellent science to make America healthy,” he wrote.

A Controversial Figure in Public Health

Bhattacharya is best known for co-authoring the Great Barrington Declaration, a widely criticized 2020 open letter advocating for herd immunity through widespread exposure to COVID-19 among lower-risk populations while shielding vulnerable groups. Public health experts, including the World Health Organization, denounced the approach as unethical and impractical.

The move to appoint Bhattacharya signals a stark pivot in the direction of U.S. health policy under Trump’s administration, favoring critics of traditional public health measures.

Trump Taps Bhattacharya to Lead NIH : Additional Health Appointments

In a parallel announcement, Trump nominated Jim O’Neill, a venture capitalist with ties to tech investor Peter Thiel, as Kennedy’s deputy at HHS. O’Neill has a background in regenerative medicine research and prior experience at HHS during the George W. Bush administration.

"Jim and RFK Jr. will fight in unison to ensure every American, especially our children, will live long and healthy lives," Trump said.

O’Neill joins a growing list of high-profile appointments, including Johns Hopkins surgeon Dr. Marty Makary for FDA commissioner, former Rep. Dave Weldon as CDC director, and Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a Fox News contributor, as surgeon general.

Divisive Appointments Spark Concerns

Kennedy’s nomination, in particular, has drawn widespread criticism due to his history of promoting anti-vaccine misinformation and opposing water fluoridation, a practice widely lauded as a significant public health success. If confirmed, Kennedy would oversee agencies such as the CDC, the NIH, and the FDA, potentially steering U.S. health policy in a controversial new direction.

Critics warn that these appointments could undermine decades of public health progress. Public health experts have expressed concerns that Bhattacharya and Kennedy's stances may erode trust in key institutions, including the NIH, which has been a cornerstone of American biomedical research.