NIH senior adviser promotes MAHA strategy at ADA conference amid skeptical audience

At the American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans, Richard Woychik, a senior adviser to NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, opened his remarks by endorsing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

He explained that the MAHA strategy aims to coordinate NIH-wide innovation to better prevent and reduce the burden of diabetes, positioning the disease as a key example of why an integrated approach to chronic conditions is needed.

The audience responded with a mix of cheers and skepticism, especially when Woychik addressed concerns about recent federal funding cuts to biomedical research and was asked to justify the policy’s priorities.

The discussion highlighted ongoing tension between NIH leadership’s policy agenda and the research community’s expectations for stable funding and clear strategic direction.