Health
Guarded N.I.H. Nominee Faces Sharp Questions on Vaccines and Research Cuts
Under hostile questioning from senators of both parties, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, President Trump’s nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health, said on Wednesday that he was “convinced” vaccines did not cause autism even as he urged more research on the question, which scientists say has long been settled.
The hearing became a battlefield for the Trump administration’s early actions on health, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reluctance to explicitly recommend vaccinations in the midst of a deadly measles outbreak in West Texas.
“I fully support children being vaccinated for diseases like measles,” Dr. Bhattacharya, a health economist and professor of medicine at Stanford University, told the Senate Health Committee. But to assuage skeptical parents, he also said scientists should conduct more research on autism and vaccines — a position that senators from both parties noted was at odds with extensive evidence showing no association between them.
If confirmed, Dr. Bhattacharya would lead the world’s largest funder of biomedical research, a sprawling agency with a $48 billion budget and 27 separate institutes and centers that has long been praised by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Recently, though, the N.I.H. has been rocked by Trump administration moves that blocked key parts of its grant-making apparatus and resulted in the firing of roughly 1,200 employees. Together with other lapses and proposed changes in N.I.H. funding, the administration’s actions have rattled the biomedical research industry, which is responsible for driving pharmaceutical advancements and generating tens of billions of dollars in economic activity each year.
Hours before Wednesday’s hearing, the Department of Government Efficiency, the cost-cutting group led by Elon Musk, trumpeted the cancellation of N.I.H. grants.
Asked about blockages to N.I.H. funding during the hearing, Dr. Bhattacharya repeatedly dodged, saying only that he would ensure scientists had the resources they needed. He vowed to direct funding toward the causes of chronic disease — a priority of Mr. Kennedy’s — and to create a “culture of dissent” that encourages the challenging of prevailing views.
He also promised to scrutinize research findings that were not borne out by subsequent studies and fund the most innovative research, producing “big advances” rather than “small, incremental progress.”
But it was Dr. Bhattacharya’s resistance to weigh in on N.I.H. funding stoppages and his equivocal answers on vaccines that drew the ire of Democrats and some Republicans.
In one contentious exchange, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the committee’s Republican chairman, lamented that Dr. Bhattacharya had stopped short of saying the question of whether vaccines cause autism had been resolved.
“It’s been exhaustively studied,” said Mr. Cassidy, a doctor and fierce supporter of vaccination. “The more we pretend like this is an issue, the more we will have children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Dr. Bhattacharya responded that more research was needed as long as American parents were concerned enough not to vaccinate their children. “My inclination is to give people good data,” he said.
To that, Mr. Cassidy suggested that there already was good data, and that “precious limited taxpayer dollars” could not be devoted to every last fringe theory.
“There’s people who disagree that the world is round,” he said. “People still think Elvis is alive.”
Dr. Bhattacharya would not say whether he supported the Trump administration’s changes to N.I.H. funding, telling senators he had nothing to do with them. That did not stop numerous Democrats and one Republican, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, from attacking the changes, including a proposal to cap overhead costs. A judge has temporarily blocked that proposal.
“To impose this arbitrary cap makes no sense at all,” Ms. Collins said. “This is against the law.”
Dr. Bhattacharya, who has a medical degree and is a professor of medicine but never practiced, burst into the spotlight in October 2020, when he co-wrote an anti-lockdown treatise, the Great Barrington Declaration. It argued for “focused protection” — a strategy to protect the elderly and vulnerable while letting the virus spread among younger, healthier people.
Many scientists countered that walling off at-risk populations from the rest of society was a pipe dream.
The nation’s medical leadership, including Dr. Francis S. Collins, who retired last week, and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, then director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, denounced the plan. Referring to Dr. Bhattacharya and his co-authors as “fringe epidemiologists,” Dr. Collins wrote in an email that “there needs to be a quick and devastating takedown of its premises.”
Dr. Bhattacharya told senators on Wednesday that he had been “subject to censorship by the actions of the Biden administration.” Past N.I.H. officials, he said, “oversaw a culture of cover-up, obfuscation and a lack of tolerance for ideas that differ from theirs.”
But Dr. Bhattacharya’s championing of “scientific dissent” has sometimes clashed with his own actions. Until resigning late last year, he sat on the board of Biosafety Now, a group that promoted prosecuting “those culpable for covering up” the cause of Covid. Supporters of the theory that Covid leaked from a lab have often used that designation to refer to scientists who took different views.
On Wednesday, Dr. Bhattacharya waded again into the question of a laboratory leak, and whether N.I.H.-funded research at a virology laboratory in China led to one.
There is no direct evidence of the coronavirus escaping from a lab. Much published scientific research points instead to the virus emerging at a market in Wuhan, China, where wild animals were being illegally sold.
But Dr. Bhattacharya said that N.I.H.-supported research “may have caused the pandemic.” (The C.I.A. also recently swung in favor of the lab leak theory, though there was no new intelligence behind its shift and the agency has produced no direct evidence.) And Dr. Bhattacharya cast doubt over the future of American research on dangerous viruses, saying that the N.I.H. should not be doing “any research that has the potential to cause a pandemic.”
There has long been spirited debate over what type of research constitutes such a risk, and whether limiting that research would reduce the likelihood of another pandemic or instead undercut preparations for one.
Several senators noted that Dr. Bhattacharya had in the past received N.I.H. funding for his work. Some of that work, researchers have noted, may very well have run afoul of the Trump administration’s recent crackdown on certain types of science. The administration has targeted research related to climate science, for example, as well as studies touching on diversity, equity and inclusion.
In one ongoing project, Dr. Bhattacharya and several collaborators proposed using data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study, a longitudinal study of older Mexicans, to look at how climate change and workplace environmental exposures were related to disparities in Alzheimer’s disease.
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
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