HEALTH CARE WARS:
FEBRUARY 2026 DASHBOARD
THE IDEOLOGICAL THEATER
HHS Influencers' focus on "Big Food" and "Big Pharma" (X data)
Notable new X followings
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya
- The Boyd Institute:
"Policy lab" proposing "bold solutions for a post-boomer world" - Breeauna Sagdal:
Policy fellow at the Beef Initiative, "a movement focused on making food more localized, redundant, and secure" - Caleb Watney:
Cofounder of Institute for Progress, which promotes biotech innovation
Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O'Neill
- Anthony DiGiorgio:
Neurosurgeon who frequently criticizes hospital consolidation - Ruxandra Teslo:
Genomics PhD; calls for "clinical trial abundance" and authored "manifesto for reviving biopharma productivity"
HHS Senior Advisor Calley Means
- Adam Gaffney:
Pulmonary and ICU physician; Harvard Medical School assistant professor who writes on health care financing - Kate Johnson:
Registered nurse and wellness advocate; wife of MAGA influencer Benny Johnson - Kat Lindley:
President of Global Health Project, which aims to "expos[e] corruption... in public health and government" (also followed by Director Bhattacharya)
New Trump Administration hires and nominees
| Hire | Background | Pharma Perspectives | Food Perspectives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Nichols, Senior Advisor for Communications, FDA | Former congressional staffer with experience in conservative media and private sector digital marketing[1] | N/A | Served as deputy communications director for the House Agriculture Committee under Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA-15)[2] |
Health care op-eds published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post
THE COMMERCIAL THEATER
Top health care ad spenders on Meta Platforms
Corporate sponsors of health care conferences and "fly-ins"
2026 Crohn's & Colitis Congress – Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (January 22–24)[3]
Trailblazer: AbbVie, Celltrion, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly, Pfizer, and Takeda
Innovator: Genentech
Leader: Merck
Achiever: Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News
Contributor: Abivax, MotherToBaby, Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute, and Sanofi
2026 We Are Family (Medicine) Conference – American Academy of Physician Associates (January 31–February 2)[4]
AMBOSS, Bayer, Family HealthCare Network, Gilead Sciences, Leidos QTC Health Services, SIU Medicine - Doctor of Medical Science, and University of Lynchburg - Doctor of Medical Science
Newsletter sponsors
Axios (Vitals)
Politico – Health Care
(Pulse and Prescription Pulse)
Politico – Food/Ag
(Weekly Agriculture)
STAT News
(D.C. Diagnosis and
Morning Rounds)
- Benjamin Nichols, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-n-aa430b1a4.
- “Benjamin Nichols,” LegiStorm, https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/475823/Benjamin_T_Nichols.html.
- "2026 Industry Supporters," Crohn's & Colitis Congress, https://crohnscolitiscongress.org/2026-industry-supporters.
- "Exhibit and Sponsorship Opportunities," We Are Family (Medicine) 2026, American Academy of Physician Associates, https://www.aapa.org/events/we-are-family-medicine/#tabs-4-exhibit-and-sponsorship-opportunities.
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Baron has guided clients for nearly two decades through the most challenging political terrain. Applying a methodology focused on mastering the strategic competition of interests, Baron advises some of the nation's most prominent organizations, including members of the Fortune 10, several of America's largest privately held businesses, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Baron's health care sector clients have included insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, integrated health systems, and medical device firms.
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