Indian-American scientist Jay Bhattacharya was confirmed as the director of National Institutes of Health (NIH) by the US senate on Tuesday (Mar 26).

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Bhattacharya, a professor of Health Policy at Stanford University, will lead America's top health research and funding institution. As per the US Senate website, his nomination was confirmed by a 53-47 vote.

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He was nominated last year by US President Donald Trump soon after the Republican won the US election race and became the President-elect.

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"Dr. Bhattacharya will work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to direct the Nation’s Medical Research and to make important discoveries that will improve Health and save lives," said Trump.

Thanking Trump for the nomination, Bhattacharya at the time said: "If confirmed, I will carry out President Trump and (Health and Human Service) Secretary Kennedy's agenda of Making America Healthy Again and committing the NIH to address the dire chronic health needs of the country with gold-standard science and innovation."

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Who is Jay Bhattacharya?

Jay Bhattacharya is the new Director of the National Institutes of Health. He is the 18th person to hold this post.

A professor of medicine, economics, and health research policy at Stanford University, Bhattacharya is also an investigator at Stanford's Centre for Demography and Economics of Health and Ageing.

In 2020, he opposed the lockdowns and masks imposed as part of the COVID pandemic.

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Born in 1968 in India's Kolkata to a Bengali Hindu family, Bhattacharya is a naturalized American citizen. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Arts (MA) in economics from Stanford University. He also has a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the Stanford University School of Medicine and a PhD in economics from the esteemed university.

(With inputs from agencies)