Jay Bhattacharya to become acting CDC director | 18 Feb 2026 | National Institutes of Health head Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will serve as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the White House told Politico. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ousted CDC Director Jim O’Neill last week as part of a large-scale shakeup at HHS. President Donald Trump plans to name O’Neill as head of the National Science Foundation. Bhattacharya rose to prominence as a critic of COVID-19 mask mandates and lockdowns. Trump tapped him to lead the NIH in 2025.