Bhattacharya will stay on as head of the NIH and will also serve as the head of the CDC until President Donald Trump can appoint a permanent leader. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Bhattacharya worked as a health economist and professor at Stanford University Medical School. As head of the NIH, Bhattacharya has seen pushback from hundreds of staffers. In June, some NIH scientists published what they called the Bethesda Declaration, named for the location of the NIH. As the head of the NIH, Bhattacharya has spoken extensively about restoring American’s faith in the federal government’s approach to health and science.

Source: CNN February 19, 2026 14:23 UTC