NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya announced Tuesday that his mother has died, sharing an emotional tribute that reflected on her faith, love, and their final conversation.
Bhattacharya revealed the heartbreaking news in a post on X, saying his mother died Monday and describing her as the most loving person he had ever known.
“My mom died yesterday. I have never known anyone with a greater capacity to love than she,” Bhattacharya wrote.
The NIH director said he had been fortunate to spend time with his mother just a month before her death and spoke with her nearly every day.
“I was lucky to visit with her a month ago. I spoke with her almost every day,” he wrote.
Bhattacharya also shared that his mother’s Christian faith gave him comfort as he mourned her loss.
“She loved the Lord above all else and I am at peace because I know what that means,” he wrote.
He ended the tribute by recalling their final exchange.
“Her last words to me were that she loved me and I told her the same. May God bless her soul.”
The post quickly drew condolences from supporters, colleagues and members of the public, many of whom offered prayers for Bhattacharya and his family.
Bhattacharya, a physician and health economist, has served as director of the National Institutes of Health since earlier this year. Before taking the helm at the agency, he was widely known as a professor at Stanford University and for his work in public health policy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As NIH director, Bhattacharya oversees the nation’s premier medical research agency, which funds and conducts biomedical research aimed at advancing treatments and improving public health.
Bhattacharya has not publicly shared additional details about his mother’s death or announced funeral arrangements.
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