The United States of America’s Senate has confirmed the appointment of Indian-origin American scientist Dr Jay Bhattacharya as the new Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr Jay Bhattacharya was nominated by Donald Trump as the 18th NIH Director after being elected as the 47th President of the US in November 2024.

According to the American National Cancer Act Amendments of 1974, the Director of the NIH is appointed by the US President and is approved by the US Senate.

The 100-member Senate is the upper house of the Federal legislature known as the Congress.

The 435-member House of Representatives is the lower house of Congress.

The Republican Party, of which Donald Trump is a member, has a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a premier medical research agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It funds medical research within the country.

It comes under the US Department of Health and Human Services, headed by Robert Kennedy Jr.

About Jay Bhattacharya

Dr Jay Bhattacharya was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, and migrated to the United States.

He is a professor of health policy and economics at Stanford University and director of Stanford’s Center on the Demography and Economics of Health and Aging.

He is known for his controversial stance during the COVID-19 pandemic, opposing lockdowns and mask mandates.

Indian origin American in the 2nd Donald Trump Administration

After being elected as the President of the US for the second time, Donald Trump has nominated several Indian origin Americans in his cabinet.

Vivek Ramaswamy- He along with Elon Musk leads the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He was born in the United States and his parents migrated from Palakkad in Kerala.
Sriram Krishnan- Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence (AI). He was born in Chennai and is an Indian-American entrepreneur and venture capitalist.
Kash Patel- Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He took his oath on the Bhagavad Gita.
He was born in the United States, and his Gujarati parents migrated from East Africa to the United States.
Harmeet Dhillon- Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. She was born in Chandigarh and migrated to the United States with her surgeon father.
Jay Bhattacharya- Director of the National Institutes of Health. He was born in Kolkata, West Bengal and migrated to the United States.

About Usha Vance and Tulsi Gabbard

Usha Vance is the wife of the Vice President James David Vance. Usha Vance was born in the United States and her parents migrated from Andhra Pradesh to the United States.

She is not part of the Donald Trump cabinet, but she is the first Indian origin lady to become the second lady of the United States.

Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard has been appointed as the Director of the National Intelligence of the United States. She is not of Indian origin but is a practicing Hindu and devotee of Lord Krishna.

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