Bhattacharya to Do Double Duty at Helms of CDC and NIH

Follow Drugslib on

By Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 20, 2026.

via HealthDay

FRIDAY, Feb. 20, 2026 — An outspoken critic of the nation’s top public health agency has been tapped to lead it for the foreseeable future.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will serve temporarily as acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in addition to filling his role as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The former Stanford University physician and economist steps in at the CDC for Jim O’Neill, who is moving on to lead the National Science Foundation, according to The Washington Post.

Bhattacharya first gained national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic as a co-author of the "Great Barrington Declaration." It argued that government-ordered lockdowns and school closures did more harm than good, suggesting instead that officials should focus only on protecting the most vulnerable seniors.

His stance often put him at odds with public health experts attempting to corral a highly contagious virus that moved quickly and affected millions in the United States and abroad.

Reflecting in 2024 on the agency's past performance, Bhattacharya once wrote on X: “The CDC peddled pseudo-science in the middle of a pandemic.” He pointed specifically to the CDC’s claims regarding the effectiveness of widespread masking.

As the acting head of the CDC, Bhattacharya will oversee the committee that issues vaccine recommendations. This is a sensitive role at a time when public trust in the health agency has fallen steadily — dropping from nearly 60% when President Donald Trump took office in early 2025 to 47% today, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

While Bhattacharya has been a staunch critic of vaccine mandates, he has been careful to separate that criticism from the value of the vaccines themselves.

“I think the best way to address the measles epidemic in this country is by vaccinating your children for measles,” he testified at a U.S. Senate hearing earlier this month.

The White House is still searching for a full-time, permanent CDC director, a position that requires approval from the U.S. Senate.

For now, Bhattacharya’s primary goal appears to be stabilizing an agency that has been shaken by internal disagreements over policy, according to The Post.

He has frequently argued that past policies during a global pandemic, like social distancing and school closures, lacked enough evidence to justify their "unintended consequences" on the public.

Sources

  • The Washington Post, Feb. 18, 2026

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2026-02-21 15:58

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords