RFK Jr. Appoints Five New Members to CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel Ahead of Key Meeting
The appointments shrink and reshape the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory committee as it prepares to review guidance on hepatitis B, MMRV and COVID-19 vaccines.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday appointed five new members to the advisory panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine policy, the Department of Health and Human Services said, days before the panel is set to review guidance on hepatitis B, measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) and COVID-19 shots.
Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June and replaced it with a smaller, 12-member committee. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the five newly appointed members will take part in this week’s meeting, a closely watched session that could further reshape federal vaccination policy.
The five appointees named by HHS are Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who has examined cases of myocarditis related to COVID-19 vaccination; Catherine Stein, an epidemiologist at Case Western Reserve University who opposed campus COVID-19 vaccine mandates in 2022; Hilary Blackburn, a pharmacist based in St. Louis, Missouri and daughter-in-law of U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn; Raymond Pollak, a semi-retired transplant surgeon with a background in immunology; and Evelyn Griffin, a Louisiana-based obstetrician who has criticized COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Some of the new members have questioned aspects of mRNA vaccines and childhood vaccination, and media reporting has linked Milhoan to support for unproven COVID-19 treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin during the pandemic. The five appointees could not immediately be reached for comment.
An internal CDC document obtained earlier this month by Reuters indicated HHS had directed the agency to name seven new members to the committee, but two potential nominees identified in that document, Joseph Fraiman and John Gaitanis, were not among those named on Monday. HHS did not immediately explain the discrepancy.
ACIP historically issues recommendations that inform federal vaccine policy and clinical practice in the United States. Kennedy, who has long been a critic of vaccines, moved in June to overhaul the committee by dismissing all 17 members and installing a new, smaller panel. The reconstituted committee is scheduled to consider updates to guidance on hepatitis B vaccination, MMRV, and COVID-19 vaccines during its meeting this week.
Public health officials and experts have said ACIP deliberations influence vaccine schedules, school entry requirements, and vaccine funding decisions, making membership and committee recommendations consequential for clinical and public health practice. The change in personnel has drawn attention from medical and public health communities, which have monitored the selection process and the backgrounds of new appointees.
Reporting on the appointments follows earlier disclosures about HHS direction to the CDC on new nominees and comes as federal and state agencies continue to manage vaccination programs and responses to infectious disease outbreaks. The committee’s decisions at this week’s meeting will be observed for potential impacts on national vaccine recommendations and related public health guidance.
The CDC and HHS did not provide additional comment beyond the names of the appointees and Nixon’s confirmation that the new members will participate in the upcoming meeting. News organizations have reported that the reconfiguration of ACIP and the backgrounds of its new members have raised questions among some public health experts about the committee’s future deliberations and recommendations. The panel’s actions this week will be the first major test of the newly constituted advisory group.