Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who has faced restrictions on social media platforms because of his views, was a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said he intended to nominate Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor known for his criticism of Covid lockdowns, to serve as the next director of the National Institutes of Health.

“Dr. Bhattacharya will work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives,” Trump wrote in the announcement. Kennedy is Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.