Who is Jay Bhattacharya, Trump's pick to lead US's top health institute?

United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday (Nov 26) announced Indian-American scientist Dr Jay Bhattacharya as the Director of the National Institute of Health (NIH) in his second term. 

NIH is the top health and medical research institute. 

In his announcement, Trump said the 56-year-old would collaborate with the Health and Human Service Secretary nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr (RFK Jr) "to direct the Nation's Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives."

Responding to Trump's nomination, Bhattacharya took to X to express his gratitude as he wrote, "I am honoured and humbled by President Trump's nomination of me to be the next NHI director. 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 again!"

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An economist, Bhattacharya is a Stanford University School of Medicine Professor and originally hails from the Indian state of Kolkata.

During the global pandemic,  He was a critic of US COVID policy. 

In October 2020, Bhattacharya, along with two other academics, published the Great Barrington Declaration that called for the return of normal life for people not vulnerable to the virus.

In 2021, Bhattacharya said in a panel discussion, "I think the lockdowns were the single biggest public health mistake."  

He even sued the US government after his declaration was published claiming the government pressured social media platforms to restrict his opinions. 

Bhattacharya graduated from  Stanford University School of Medicine in 1997. 

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Later in 2000, he got his doctorate in economics from Stanford.

Bhattacharya is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

His recent research works include examining the role of the government in the health and well-being of vulnerable population. 

(With inputs from agencies)