Senate Confirms Key Trump Administration Healthcare Leadership

The U.S. Senate confirmed March 25, Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (53-47), Marty Makary, MD, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (56-44), and Michael Kratsios, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (74-25).

Dr. Bhattacharya will oversee a $47 billion budget and that oversees clinical trials, efforts to develop drugs, and issues research grants.

As FDA commissioner, Dr. Makary will oversee food supply and cosmetic safety and ensure human and veterinary drug and medical device safety, including radiological and imaging devices.

Mr. Kratsios will serve as a key advisor to the White House on all federal science and technology policies and will work with federal agencies to execute these policies effectively.

This week, President Trump also nominated Susan Monarez, PhD, to serve as the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Monarez is currently CDC acting director of the CDC and formerly served as deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). She must be confirmed by the Senate. The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) has worked with Dr. Monarez during her tenure at ARPA-H and assumes the agency will value her expertise, especially concerning artificial intelligence in healthcare, at CDC.

ACR® intends to serve as a resource for all new leadership within the administration and will continue to advocate for federal funding for radiology research and encourage imaging as a priority to the healthcare leaders.

For more information, contact Katie Grady, ACR Government Affairs Director.