NIH director Bhattacharya to temporarily serve as CDC director

Director of the National Institutes of Health Jay Bhattacharya will serve as interim director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) following the reported exit of Jim O’Neill, a Trump administration official confirmed Wednesday.

It was reported last week that O’Neill, who also served as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), would be leaving his post as part of a broader staff restructuring within the department.

O’Neill is expected to be nominated by President Trump to lead the National Science Foundation, according to The New York Times, which first reported the news of Bhattacharya’s new role.

The shake-up at HHS comes as the Trump administration is sharpening its message on health care ahead of the midterms, hoping Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to reshape federal health policy over the past year will resonate with voters and help deliver Republican wins come November.

Other leadership shifts include Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Deputy Administrator Chris Klomp taking on the role of chief counselor at HHS, and John Brooks transitioning from CMS deputy administrator and chief policy and regulatory officer to CMS senior counselor.

At the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Deputy Commissioners Kyle Diamantas and Grace Graham were also given new posts as senior counselors.

“In just over a year, we have driven historic progress on President Trump’s health care priorities and delivered real, measurable change,” Kennedy said in a Feb. 12 statement announcing the changes.

“We are restoring accountability, challenging entrenched interests, and putting the health of the American people first. I am proud to elevate battle-tested, principled leaders onto my immediate team—individuals with the courage and experience to help us move faster and go further as we work to Make America Healthy Again,” he added.

The CDC itself has seen abrupt leadership changes over the past year, including the ouster of Director Susan Monarez last August, who was fired less than a month into the job after she refused pressure from the White House to resign.

Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor, is now poised to take the helm at a time when the agency has come under scrutiny for its shifts to vaccination policies and recommendations.

He said during a Senate hearing last week that he had not seen any studies supporting a potential connection between any vaccine and autism, disputing a theory often peddled by Kennedy.

Bhattacharya is slated to serve as interim director until the U.S. Senate confirms a permanent successor.