"Researchers expect that Bhattacharya will perform similarly at the helm of the CDC. Jenna Norton, an NIH program officer who spoke to the Guardian in her personal capacity, commented that Bhattacharya "won't actually run the CDC. Just as he doesn't actually run NIH." His role for the administration, she added, "is largely as a propagandist." Jeremy Berg, former director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, echoed the sentiment to the Guardian."
"Kayla Hancock, director of Public Health Watch, a nonprofit advocacy group, went further in a public statement, saying, "Jay Bhattacharya has overseen the most chaotic and rudderless era in NIH history, and for RFK Jr. to give him even more responsibility at the CDC is malpractice against the public health." Like other commenters, Hancock noted his apparent lack of involvement at the NIH and put it in the context of the current state of US public health."
Bhattacharya delegates most NIH operational responsibilities to two senior officials while focusing on public interviews, earning the nickname "Podcast Jay". Insiders and commentators characterize his NIH tenure as chaotic and rudderless, citing a lack of hands-on involvement. Critics warn that Bhattacharya is likely to replicate the same approach at the CDC, effectively serving as a rubber-stamp for leadership directives. Concerns include his alignment with RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine agenda and previous sign-off on a controversial reduction in the childhood vaccine schedule from 17 to 11 doses without scientific evidence. Public health advocates warn this could worsen outbreaks of preventable diseases.
Read at Ars Technica
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]