Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., began leading the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as its 18th Director April 1. President Donald Trump nominated Bhattacharya for the position on Nov. 26, 2024, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 25.

As Director, Bhattacharya will oversee the nation’s medical research agency, playing an instrumental role in shaping the agency’s activities and outlook and ensuring they align with the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission (link is external).

“Novel biomedical discoveries that enhance health and lengthen life are more vital than ever to our country’s future,” said Bhattacharya, noting that chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity continue to cause poor health outcomes in every community across the United States.

“As NIH Director, I will build on the agency’s long and illustrious history of supporting breakthroughs in biology and medicine by fostering gold standard research and innovation to address the chronic disease crisis,” he said.

A renowned doctor, researcher, and health economist, Bhattacharya held a tenured professorship in the medical school at Stanford University in California prior to joining NIH. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in economics and completed medical school at Stanford University. Bhattacharya replaces Matthew J. Memoli, M.D., who has served ably as the Acting NIH Director since Jan. 22, 2025.

Learn more by reading the NIH news release.