US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed new members to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel just two days after removing the entire previous committee. The new appointments bring several prominent critics of the government’s Covid-19 response onto the advisory board. Kennedy announced eight new members for the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, which advises on vaccine safety and who should receive vaccines.
Kennedy said the previous 17-member panel had conflicts of interest and promised to appoint “highly credentialed” experts before the next ACIP meeting on June 25. The panel is expected to review guidance on Covid-19 and HPV vaccines. Kennedy emphasized that the new group will require clear safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations and will also review the current vaccine schedule.
The new ACIP members include Dr. Robert Malone, a biochemist who helped develop messenger RNA technology but recently criticized mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. Another appointee is Dr. Martin Kulldorff, an epidemiologist known for co-authoring the Great Barrington Declaration in 2020, which called for targeted protection of vulnerable groups during the pandemic. Dr. James Pagano, an emergency medicine physician, and Dr. Retsef Levi, an MIT professor who has researched mRNA vaccines and heart health, also joined the panel.
Several appointees have previous government experience. Dr. Joseph Hibbeln formerly led nutritional neuroscience research at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Cody Meissner, a Dartmouth professor and Great Barrington Declaration signatory, has served on ACIP before as well as on the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee. Dr. Vicky Pebsworth, director of the National Association of Catholic Nurses’ Pacific region, has questioned vaccine safety citing personal concerns and has served on FDA vaccine committees. Dr. Michael Ross, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, has experience on CDC vaccine advisory boards and biotech company boards.
The ACIP, created in 1964, plays a key role in shaping US vaccine policy. It is made up of pediatricians, immunologists, researchers, and patient advocates who review vaccine safety and vote on vaccine recommendations. Their guidance influences both medical advice and insurance coverage for vaccines.
Kennedy said that removing the old advisory panel will help rebuild public trust in vaccines and the medical system. He criticized the previous members for conflicts of interest and said the panel has often approved vaccine recommendations without sufficient scrutiny. Kennedy noted that many previous members were last-minute Biden administration appointees and that the Trump administration would not have been able to add new members until 2028 without this reset.
The new panel will meet on June 25 to review and possibly change vaccine guidance, including for Covid-19 and HPV shots. The health community will watch closely for any changes in vaccine recommendations following the reshuffle.
