The US Department of Health and Human Services announced the appointment of five new members to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) just days before a crucial meeting. This follows HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s controversial decision to replace the entire previous committee in June. The newly appointed members include Dr. Catherine Stein, an epidemiologist; Dr. Evelyn Griffin, an obstetrician-gynecologist; Dr. Hillary Blackburn, director of medication access and affordability; Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist; and Dr. Raymond Pollak, a surgeon and transplant immunobiologist.
The appointments have sparked significant debate. Several of the new members have publicly voiced skepticism about the nation's COVID-19 response and expressed views questioning vaccine safety and efficacy. Dr. Stein, for example, has been a critic of pandemic-related mandates and co-authored research questioning pandemic response models. Dr. Griffin has voiced criticism of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Dr. Milhoan has made claims about vaccine-related injuries that have been disputed by independent fact-checkers. Dr. Pollak's past experience as a whistleblower adds another layer of complexity to the situation.
Kennedy's justification for the mass replacement of ACIP members cited purported conflicts of interest, a claim that lacks evidence and has been contradicted by a recent University of Southern California study showing historically low levels of such conflicts within the committee. The rapid turnover and the backgrounds of the new appointees raise concerns about potential bias and the committee's ability to provide unbiased recommendations on crucial vaccine-related decisions.
The upcoming ACIP meeting, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will address key vaccines for COVID-19, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The participation of the newly appointed members in this meeting is expected to influence the discussions and subsequent recommendations. The accelerated appointment process, bypassing the usual two-to-three-month review period, further fuels the controversy surrounding this significant change to the ACIP.
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Originally published at: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/15/health/cdc-acip-new-members
