Indian-Origin Jay Bhattacharya To Lead National Institutes Of Health

Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian-origin professor at Stanford School of Medicine, was confirmed as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by the US Senate on Tuesday. Bhattacharya secured the position with a 53-47 vote during the first session of the roll call vote in the 119th Congress.

Following his confirmation, US Republican Senator from Kentucky Mitch McConnell congratulated Bhattacharya, stating, "Voted today to confirm Dr Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. With an extensive background in medical research, I expect Dr J Bhattacharya to provide sound leadership at the NIH."

The US Senate notified that Bhattacharya, along with newly appointed US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., will work together to restore the NIH to a "Gold Standard of Medical Research."