President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he chose Jim O'Neill to serve as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was previously selected to lead the department.
Trump wrote in a statement announcing the move:
"I am very pleased to nominate Jim O'Neill to serve as the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services to work alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He will oversee all operations and improve Management, Transparency, and Accountability to, Make America Healthy Again.
"Jim previously served as the Principal Associate Deputy Secretary of HHS. He led reforms at FDA to overhaul Food Safety Regulations, and implemented the FDA Amendments Act, which improved Drug and Medical Device Safety, and ensured greater protection for Public Health. He helped design and launch the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to improve the Health response to Emergencies and Disasters. After serving at HHS, Jim became a Managing Director of Clarium Capital, a Global Macro Investment Fund. As CEO of the Thiel Foundation, Jim funded Innovative Nonprofits that promote Technology and Freedom.
"By co-founding the Thiel Fellowship, he helped launch the careers of young Entrepreneurs, who founded Science and Tech Companies worth Hundreds of Billions of Dollars. More recently, Jim served as CEO of SENS Research Foundation (SRF). He led efforts to research and develop Regenerative Medicine Solutions for age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Cancer, and Heart Disease. Under his leadership, SRF made progress toward rejuvenating the immune system, eliminating senescent cells, rejuvenating the neocortex, and obviating mitochondrial mutations.
"Jim and RFK Jr. will fight in unison to ensure every American, and especially our most precious resource, our children, will live long and healthy lives and, Make America Great and Healthy Again!"