Indian-origin Jay Bhattacharya who born in Kolkata, has emerged as top contender for the position of Director of the National Institutes of Health

The Stanford-trained physician and economist, who won GOP support after pushing back on covid lockdowns, is said to have impressed RFK Jr., Donald Trump’s pick to lead HHS.

According to a Washington Post report, Stanford University physician and economist Jay Bhattacharya is the top candidate for the high-level position in an agency that oversees biomedical research in the United States.

Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University-trained physician and economist, has reportedly emerged as the presumptive favourite of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team for the post of next director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Bhattacharya has called for shifting the agency's focus toward funding more innovative research and reducing the influence of some of its longest-serving career

The NIH is a $50 billion agency under the HHS, with its mandate overseeing biomedical research throughout the United States.

Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, of Stanford University in California, has emerged as President-elect Donald Trump's top pick to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to reporting from the Washington Post.

(Reuters) - Jay Bhattacharya is now the presumptive favorite to be selected by President-elect Donald Trump as the next director of the National Institutes of Health, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the matter.

Bhattacharya, a Stanford University-trained physician and economist, met Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been appointed by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Jay Bhattacharya emerges as top contender for NIH director under Trump administration, proposing overhaul of agency's focus and leadership.