Exclusive: Dr. Jay Bhattacharya on How the NIH Is Rethinking Autism, DEI, China Ties, and Gain-of-Function

American Thought Leaders · Feb 11, 2026 · 1h 30m

In this no-holds-barred interview, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, breaks down how the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research is changing under his leadership.

Bhattacharya, a former professor of Stanford University, public health expert, and coauthor of the anti-lockdown Great Barrington Declaration, was sworn in as director of the NIH in April last year.

With an annual budget of almost $50 billion, the NIH sets the direction of research at universities, medical centers, and research institutes across America.

It encompasses 27 institutes…