President-elect Donald Trump tapped Jim O’Neill, a close associate of early Trump backer Peter Thiel, for HHS deputy secretary.

“He will oversee all operations and improve Management, Transparency, and Accountability to, Make America Healthy Again,” Trump said in a statement, nodding to the operational role O’Neill will play as a right-hand man to HHS Secretary pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The rise of the former CEO of the Thiel Foundation comes years after O’Neill was in the mix to be Trump’s first FDA commissioner in his first term. O’Neill has ties across Silicon Valley and previously served as HHS principal associate deputy secretary during the George W. Bush administration.

Trump also noted his role co-founding the Thiel Fellowship and his time as CEO of anti-aging nonprofit SENS Research Foundation.

“He led efforts to research and develop Regenerative Medicine Solutions for age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Cancer, and Heart Disease,” Trump said. O’Neill joined the board of directors of ADvantage Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company developing treatments for neurodegenerative conditions in 2023.

O’Neill argued in 2014 that medicines should be approved once their safety is reviewed by the FDA, rather than requiring effectiveness data.

In recent weeks, O’Neill posted support for Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” on X after pushing for the top HHS job before Kennedy was nominated as HHS secretary.