The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is America’s premier medical research institution and a cornerstone of our global scientific leadership. The possibility of appointing Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the $45 billion agency presents a serious risk to public health and America’s scientific standing in the world.

Bhattacharya’s record during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals a pattern of promoting scientifically unsound positions that directly contradicted evidence-based public health measures. His most prominent initiative, the Great Barrington Declaration, proposed COVID-19 infections being spread through “low-risk” populations to build “herd immunity” [1] while theoretically protecting vulnerable groups. This strategy, condemned by the World Health Organization as reckless and unethical [2], would have overburdened our already strained healthcare infrastructure and led to massive deaths among the elderly and those with underlying health conditions [3].

The declaration’s central claim that natural herd immunity would develop within 3-6 months proved catastrophically wrong. The arrival of the Omicron wave demonstrated this failure [4]. When Bhattacharya praised Sweden as a model of this approach in late 2021, he conspicuously omitted that Sweden had actually pursued aggressive vaccination, achieving higher vaccination rates than the United States [5]. In fact, Sweden’s Public Health Agency outright rejected the idea that they were pursuing a “herd immunity” strategy [6].

His track record is filled with inaccurate and dangerous statements. In late 2021, he claimed the U.S. had “protected the vulnerable” [10]. After Florida largely followed his advice, a massive surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths ensued, hitting the elderly and those with health issues the hardest [11, 12].

He also claimed masks to be ineffective, despite overwhelming evidence from across the world, establishing that masks work to reduce transmission when used correctly [13]. He’s pushed the idea that the COVID-19 lab leak theory is a “coverup” [14], ignoring the scientific debate and evidence pointing to a natural origin [15, 16].

His judgment has been questioned not just by scientists, but by courts. In 2021, a federal judge found his testimony on herd immunity unreliable and not supported by data [17].

Scientists and physicians must follow the evidence and self-correct as new data arises. Yet Bhattacharya has never publicly resolved his many contradictions [19].

As an example of how dangerous this rhetoric can be in a role of leadership, consider Bhattacharya’s advice against mass vaccination in India, preceding one of India’s deadliest COVID-19 waves.

Bhattacharya exploits false claims of “censorship” to generate publicity. In addition to frequent social media posts and appearances on major media outlets (WSJ, Fox News, Newsweek, to name a few), Bhattacharya met Trump during the first Trump administration to share his views, and has now been nominated to direct the US National Institutes of Health. Few people can claim to have such a significant influence on public opinion and government policy, ironic considering his frequent complaints of censorship.

The NIH director must uphold the highest standards of scientific integrity and evidence-based decision-making. The agency’s $95 billion contribution to economic growth in 2022 and its role in developing life-saving treatments demonstrate what’s at stake. From cancer research to infectious disease prevention, NIH’s work touches countless American lives.

Appointing someone who has consistently promoted scientifically unsupported positions would damage NIH’s credibility and compromise America’s position as a global leader in medical research. At a time when public trust in science is crucial, we cannot afford to place this vital institution under leadership that has demonstrated such poor scientific judgment.

The next NIH director must be someone who follows evidence wherever it leads, admits when they’re wrong, and puts scientific integrity above ideology. Bhattacharya’s record suggests he would do none of these things.

Citations:

[1] Great Barrington Declaration. (2020). https://gbdeclaration.org/
[2] World Health Organization. (2020). Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 12 October 2020. https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19—12-october-2020
[3] Asaria, P., et al. (2020). A rebuttal to the Great Barrington Declaration. The Lancet, 396(10260), e64-e65. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/939161
[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Science Brief: Omicron Variant. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/omicron-variant.html
[5] Islind, Anna, et al. (2022). The quantification of vaccine uptake in the Nordic countries and impact on key indicators of COVID-19 severity and healthcare stress level via age range comparative analysis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9542476/
[6] Public Health Agency of Sweden. (2020). Questions and answers about herd immunity. https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/smittskydd-beredskap/utbrott/aktuella-utbrott/covid-19/fragor-och-svar/fragor-och-svar-om-immunitet/
[7] The Loudest Voice: Who Is GOP COVID-19 Expert Jay Bhattacharya? (2023, March 10). WhoWhatWhy. https://whowhatwhy.org/politics/the-loudest-voice-who-is-gop-covid-19-expert-jay-bhattacharya/
[8] Bhattacharya, J. (2021, March 24). The Pandemic Strategy That Failed. Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-pandemic-strategy-that-failed-11616623257
[9] Gold, A. (2020, October 5). Trump meets with advocates of herd immunity strategy. Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/05/trump-meets-with-advocates-of-herd-immunity-strategy-426467
[10] Bhattacharya, J. (2021, December 16). Dr. Jay Bhattacharya: We Have Protected the Vulnerable [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z-Z-zP-f-s
[11] Florida Department of Health. (2022). COVID-19 Weekly Situation Report. https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/
[12] Dong, E., et al. (2020). Older Adults and COVID-19: Another reason to be cautious. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 68(5), 928-929.
[13] Greenhalgh, T., et al. (2021). Masks for the public during the covid-19 crisis. BMJ, 373, n979.
[14] Dr. Jay Bhattacharya: Lab leak coverup is ‘biggest scandal’ in 100 years (2022, January 28). Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/video/6294435199001
[15] Worobey, M., et al. (2022). The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Science, 377(6609), 951-959.
[16] Holmes, E. C., et al. (2021). The origins of SARS-CoV-2: A critical review. Cell, 184(19), 4848-4856.
[17] Judges Keep Questioning ‘Herd Immunity’ Doctors (2023, September 13). Important Context. https://www.importantcontext.news/p/judges-keep-questioning-herd-immunity
[18] Supreme Court of the United States. (2024). Murthy v. Missouri. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-411_3dq3.pdf
[19] Jonathan Howard: Every Time Dr. Jay Bhattacharya Talks About COVID, He Proves He Was Totally Wrong About COVID (2023, April 7)(https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/every-time-dr-jay-bhattacharya-talks-about-covid-he-proves-he-was-totally-wrong-about-covid/).