Smart Girl Dumb Questions Can He Make America Healthy (and Trusting) Again? with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya
Jan 13, 2026
Nayeema Raza welcomes Jay Bhattacharya, NIH Director and renowned physician-scientist, known for his critical views during the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss vaccine trust post-COVID, the perplexing U.S. healthcare system, and the viability of new drugs like Ozempic. Jay highlights disparities in life expectancy, critiques health spending inefficiencies, and addresses public health mandates that fueled distrust. He also anticipates China's biotech advancements and shares optimism for breakthroughs in HIV and Alzheimer's research, emphasizing the importance of restoring trust in science.
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Shared Decision-Making To Restore Trust
- The U.S. moved several childhood vaccines from universal recommendation to shared clinical decision-making to rebuild public trust after COVID-era coercion.
- Jay Bhattacharya argues this is an act of humility aligning U.S. policy with peer nations and focusing recommendations on highest-impact vaccines.
Why The '72 vs 11' Meme Misleads
- The U.S. recommends vaccination against more diseases and at earlier ages than many peer countries, but exact counts depend on how you measure doses versus diseases.
- Jay stresses the core question is benefit versus harm for each vaccine decision, not raw injection counts.
Message What Matters Most
- Focus public messaging on the most important vaccines, like MMR and polio, to prevent outbreaks and rebuild confidence.
- Emphasize availability and insurance coverage while explaining shared decision-making nuances.
