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53m ago

NIH Chief Jay Bhattacharya Named Acting CDC Director

He will keep his NIH post during the temporary appointment.

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NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee earlier this month.
National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya attends an event with first lady Melania Trump at The Children's Inn in Bethesda, Md., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, speaks at an event on addiction recovery in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington, as Dr. Marty Makary, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and Attorney General Pam Bondi listen. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Overview

  • Bhattacharya confirmed to NBC News that he is taking over as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • He will continue to lead the National Institutes of Health while serving in the CDC role on an interim basis.
  • He replaces Jim O’Neill, who had been serving as acting CDC director while also holding the HHS deputy secretary post.
  • The move marks another leadership change in a continuing reshuffle across federal health agencies.
  • Recent turnover has included the August firing of CDC director Susan Monarez after 29 days and the reported removal of NIAID director Jeanne Marrazzo in September, with Marrazzo’s account of being dismissed over vaccine and research disputes contested by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.