♦ Indian-American scientist Jay Bhattacharya was confirmed as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by the US Senate.

♦ He secured the position with a 53-47 vote during the first session of the roll call vote in the 119th Congress.

♦ Currently he is professor at Stanford School of Medicine. 

♦ Bhattacharya also serves as a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute, and the Hoover Institution.

♦ US President Donald Trump nominated Bhattacharya as the 18th NIH Director in November 2024.