Trump Nominees for Science Positions 

In the weeks since winning the 2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump has announced nominees for numerous cabinet and leadership positions within the federal government. Several are particularly relevant to FABBS, including Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and leader of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS Secretary 

After much speculation, Trump tapped former presidential candidate and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS just ten days after the election. This department oversees many of the government’s health agencies, including the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the NIH. This nomination has alarmed many public health experts, given Kennedy’s controversial views on vaccines, fluoride in drinking water, and other public health concerns. As HHS Secretary, Kennedy would set the agenda on many public health issues. Thus far, he has indicated that his priorities would include nutrition, and prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses, including diabetes and high blood pressure. 

Kennedy’s nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, where he faces both support and pushback. Unsurprisingly, Democrats have been largely opposed to this pick while Republicans have split between supportive (e.g., Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)) and noncommittal (e.g., Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)). If all Democratic senators vote against his nomination, Kennedy can only afford to lose three Republicans. Kennedy is expected to meet with senators from both parties throughout the week. 

Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, as NIH Director 

At the end of November, Trump announced that he would nominate Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, as NIH Director. During his first administration, Trump kept then-NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins — nominated in 2009 by former President Barack Obama – in place. As such, there was some hope that he would do the same with current NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli during his second term. 

Dr. Bhattacharya is both a physician and economist, and is currently Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research. As director of Stanford’s Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging, his research has focused on the health of vulnerable populations with an emphasis on the role of economics, biomedical innovation, and government programs. His research has been funded by the National Institute of Aging. 

Dr. Bhattacharya’s nomination has garnered mixed reactions from scientists and researchers. Unlike Kennedy, Dr. Bhattacharya has stated that he supports vaccines. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he brought attention to the societal and economic costs of prevention policies, including lockdowns, school closures, and masking. He is well known as one of the co-authors of The Great Barrington Declaration, published in 2020. 

Like Kennedy’s, Dr. Bhattacharya’s nomination must be confirmed by the Senate. 

David Sacks as PCAST Leader 

Trump recently appointed David Sacks to lead PCAST, as well as serve as the White House AI and Crypto Czar, a new role outside of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Supported by OSTP, PCAST advises the president on topics concerning science, technology, and innovation. Variations of this council date back to 1933 with former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Science Advisory Board, but it officially became PCAST during President George H. W. Bush’s administration in 1990.  

Sacks is co-founder of the venture capital firm Craft Ventures and former Chief Operating Officer of PayPal. This appointment does not require Senate confirmation. 

Although this nomination has raised concerns among researchers, especially regarding potential conflicts of interest, it is a positive sign that Trump will retain PCAST during his second administration. During his first term, Trump did not reconvene PCAST until October 19, 2019, thirty-three months after the Council last met under President Barack Obama.