Jay Bhattacharya, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, recently conducted his inaugural staff town hall at the NIH's main campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
The gathering drew nearly 500 attendees in person, with additional participants joining online. During the event, Bhattacharya addressed some of the 1,200 questions submitted by staff, as reported by Science.
According to The Blaze, Bhattacharya faced a challenging moment when he attempted to discuss the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. He acknowledged the possibility that human-conducted research, potentially sponsored by the NIH, could have played a role in the outbreak.
"It's possible that the pandemic was caused by research conducted by human beings. And it's also possible that the NIH partly sponsored that research," Bhattacharya stated. This assertion prompted a significant number of NIH staffers to leave the room in protest. In response to the walkout, Bhattacharya remarked, "It's nice to have free speech. You're welcome, you guys," which was met with applause from some who remained.
Bhattacharya emphasized the importance of ensuring that research does not pose risks to human populations. "If it's true that we sponsored research that caused the pandemic, and if you look at polls of the American people, that's what most people believe. And I've looked at the scientific evidence I believe in," he said. He further stressed the need for caution in research endeavors to prevent potential harm.
In a related development, a report from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's minority staff, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, accused President Donald Trump's administration of effectively reducing the NIH's budget by $2.7 billion in the year's first quarter.
Sanders criticized this move, stating, "Trump's war on science is an attack against anyone who has ever loved someone with cancer." However, the Department of Health and Human Services refuted these claims, labeling them as "unequivocally false" and politically motivated. They defended the dedication of public health professionals within the department, asserting their commitment to serving the American people.
The discourse surrounding the NIH's role in pandemic research and budgetary allocations continues to stir debate, reflecting broader tensions between scientific inquiry and political agendas.
As the conversation unfolds, the focus remains on safeguarding public health while navigating the complexities of research funding and accountability.
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