New Delhi: Kolkata-born physician Dr Jay Bhattacharya, who heads the United States’ National Institute of Health, will now step in as the acting director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the most high-profile positions in the US’ public health set up.
Bhattacharya replaces Jim O’Neill, who served simultaneously as the acting CDC director and deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
His appointment comes at a time when the CDC has been witnessing internal turmoil. In the last few months, the agency has witnessed several resignations and terminations, which has left more than half of its institutes and centres without permanent doctors.
Apart from the instability that the CDC has been facing, controversies are mounting under Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr, a longtime anti-vaccine activist.
Instability in CDC
It all started when Susan Monarez was removed from the position of CDC director in August 2025, just 29 days after she had taken charge.
Monarez, in a testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labour and Pensions, alleged that Kennedy removed her after she refused to blindly approve vaccine guidance changes as directed by his office.
Kennedy, however, stood firm by his decision and dismissed the allegations even as lawmakers grilled him over his vaccine policies and other changes.
But Monarez’s removal triggered a series of terminations, resignations and retirements. Several CDC officials resigned in protest, which has left more than half of the agency’s 27 institutes and centres without permanent directors.
When O’Neill took charge of the office after Monarez’s ouster, the controversies only multiplied. The long-term Silicon Valley investor signed off on several controversial guidance changes, including an overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule. The decision to reduce the number of vaccines universally recommended for children despite its decades-long safety record was approved last month.
Another controversial decision by O’Neill was when he approved that individuals and their respective doctors should get to decide whether to get a Covid vaccine or not. The CDC had previously recommended mandatory Covid shots for everyone ages 6 months and up.
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Who is Jay Bhattacharya?
Bhattacharya is a health economist and was a professor of medicine, economics, and health research policy at Stanford Medicine. He was appointed the 18th director of the NIH in April 2025, making him the first Indian-American.
As head of the world’s largest public biomedical research agency, Bhattacharya has signalled a shift toward funding scientific work in areas such as chronic illness and nutrition, topics that were highlighted by Kennedy as well.
He was also a leading critic of the lockdown and widespread restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Bhattacharya has been openly critical of Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and his handling of the pandemic.
He co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which was published in October 2020, and called for an end to coronavirus shutdowns.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)