Our friend, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya testified today in front of the Senate Health Committee on his way to being confirmed as the head of the NIH.
NIH Director Nominee Dr. Jay Bhattacharya Calls Out 'Culture Of Coverup' At NIH In Opening Statement
Thank you Senator. Chairman Cassidy, ranking member Sanders, members of the Senate Health Committee, I'm honored to speak with you today and deeply humbled by President Trump's nomination. I'm delighted to have with me my wife Kathy, my son Matthew, and my brother Deep. My, my two other adult children, Jody and Benjamin, unfortunately could not attend today but are here with me in spirit.
The NIH has played a pivotal role in my career. I served for a decade as a standing member of NIH grant committees. I helped trained many trainees, prepare for scientific careers with NIH support. And I won NIH funding to study population aging, chronic disease, and obesity. I've made the study of scientific institutions, including the NIH itself, a focus of my own scientific work.
The NIH is the crown jewel of American biomedical sciences with a long and illustrious history of supporting breakthroughs in biology and medicine. I have the utmost respect for the NIH scientists and staff over the decades who contributed to this success. The NIH's mission, to support scientific discovery to enhance health and lengthen life, is vital to our country's future and indeed the world's. I love the NIH, but post-pandemic, American biomedical sciences are at a crossroads. A November 2024, Pew Study reported that only 26% of the American public had a great deal of confidence in scientists to act in the public's best interest. 23% have not much, or no confidence at all.
So, how can I help the NIH better achieve its mission? I have five concrete goals if confirmed as director of the NIH. First, NIH research should focus on research that solves the American chronic disease crisis. American health is going backwards. Life expectancy flat-lined between 2012 and 2019, plummeted during the pandemic, and still has not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. The chronic disease crisis is severe, with hundreds of millions of Americans, children, and adults, suffering from obesity, heart disease, cancer, and more. If confirmed, I will carry out President Trump and Secretary Kennedy's agenda of committing the NIH to address the dire chronic health needs of the country with gold standard science and innovation.
Second, NIH-supported science should be replicable, reproducible, and generalizable. Unfortunately, much modern biomedical science fails this basic test. The NIH itself just last year faced a research integrity scandal, involving research on Alzheimer's disease that throws into question hundreds of research papers. If the data generated by scientists is not reliable, the products of such science cannot help anyone. It is no stretch to think that the slow progress on Alzheimer's disease is linked to this problem. The NIH can and must solve the crisis of scientific data reliability, and under my leadership, if confirmed, it will do so.
Third, if confirmed, I will establish a culture of respect for free speech in science and scientific dissent at the NIH. Over the last few years, top NIH officials oversaw a culture of cover-up, obfuscation, and a lack of tolerance for ideas that differed from theirs. Dissent is the very essence of science. I'll foster a culture where NIH leadership will actively encourage different perspectives, and create an environment where scientists, including early-career scientists and scientists who disagree with me, can express disagreement respectfully.
Fourth, the NIH must recommit to its mission to fund the most innovative biomedical research agenda possible, to improve American health. My plan is to ensure that the NIH invests in cutting-edge research in every field to make big advances rather than just small incremental progress over years.
Fifth, the NIH must embrace… uh, and vigorously regulate… uh… risky research that has the possibility of causing a pandemic… must… must regulate risky research that has the possibility of causing a pandemic. It should embrace transparency in all its operations. While the vast majority of biomedical research poses no risk or harm to research subjects or the public, the NIH must ensure that it never supports work that might cause harm. If confirmed, I will work with Congress and the Administration to guarantee that happens. While I believe there are real problems to be addressed, I want to finish by reiterating my great respect for the work and mission of the NIH. If confirmed, I'll carry out President Trump's agenda of making the public science institutions of this country worthy of trust and serve to make America healthy again. Thank you.
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