Integrative medicine doctor Kristine Blanche, wife of acting U.S. attorney general, joins NIH's complementary health advisory council

Kristine Blanche, an integrative medicine physician and spouse of acting U.S. attorney general Todd Blanche, has been appointed to an NIH advisory council.

She will serve on the advisory council for the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which advises on funding decisions for research in complementary health.

The appointment is the first to that council in more than a year and was not announced by the NIH, prompting questions about whether the selection reflects a shift in the administration's approach to council appointments.

Some researchers have expressed concern that the appointment could be seen as political patronage, fearing that council members might be chosen for ideological alignment rather than scientific expertise.