Health
Who Makes Vaccine Policy Decisions in RFK Jr.’s Health Department?
For decades, as an activist, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. resisted the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and necessary to prevent serious disease. Now at the helm of the nation’s health department, he has begun to put his extreme views into practice, ousting veteran scientists and installing allies across the nation’s health agencies to enact major shifts in vaccine policy.
Some of Mr. Kennedy’s hires are activists who have worked for years alongside him. Others are scientists who say they broadly support vaccines but publicly criticized Covid shots or mandates during the pandemic. Many of these scientists have begun to question the safety or value of other shots, reflecting the views of Mr. Kennedy. The following account is based on previous statements made by these officials and on interviews with current and former health agency leaders.
F.D.A. chief medical and scientific officer
Critical of Covid boosters and shots for healthy kids
F.D.A. commissioner
Skeptical of certain vaccines
Dr. Vinay Prasad
Dr. Marty Makary
The agency’s new vaccine lead and chief medical officer, Dr. Vinay Prasad, has called himself an “extreme pro-vaccine person,” and Dr. Marty Makary, the agency’s commissioner, said last week that “we believe in vaccines.”
But the two officials, who sharply criticized vaccine mandates as academic researchers during the pandemic, have expressed doubts about the safety and necessity of Covid boosters for healthy children and adults. This summer, Dr. Prasad overrode some agency scientists who favored widespread access to Covid shots, narrowing the vaccine’s eligibility to those 65 and older and to younger people with underlying medical conditions.
Last week, Dr. Makary echoed the views of Mr. Kennedy when he publicly questioned the longstanding recommendation to give the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. That shot is credited with nearly eliminating the transmission of the disease from mother to infant.
Dr. Prasad replaced a veteran at the agency, Dr. Peter Marks, who resigned in March and said that Mr. Kennedy’s aggressive stance on vaccines posed a danger to the public.
In June, Mr. Kennedy fired all 17 members of a powerful C.D.C. expert panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Insurance companies and government programs like Medicaid are required to cover the vaccinations that the panel recommends.
Mr. Kennedy handpicked eight new members that month, half of whom had expressed skepticism of vaccines at some point. (One has since stepped down.) Others have little expertise in immunology or vaccines.
On Monday, Mr. Kennedy appointed five more members, just days before the group meets to review recommendations for multiple vaccines. Some of the newly selected members have been critical of Covid vaccines or vaccine mandates.
Dr. Robert Malone is a controversial figure. He performed early experiments using mRNA in the 1980s but gained notoriety during the pandemic for claiming that Covid vaccines were unsafe, contradicting volumes of studies.
Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician, has been generally supportive of vaccines but opposed Covid vaccination for children and vaccine mandates. Vicky Pebsworth, a nurse with a doctorate in public health, serves on the board of the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit that disseminates misinformation about the risks of vaccination.
Dr. Malone and Dr. Kulldorff have served as paid expert witnesses in legal cases against vaccine makers. Dr. Pebsworth claimed in a lawsuit that a survey of families of unvaccinated children supported a hypothesis that a rise in the number of recommended childhood vaccines explained an epidemic of chronic disease.
Another panel member, Retsef Levi, is a management and health analytics expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been critical of a variety of vaccines and has called for Covid vaccines to be pulled from the market.
Dr. Evelyn Griffin, an obstetrician and gynecologist, questioned the safety and effectiveness of Covid vaccines in a hearing in the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2021. Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist, questioned the safety and effectiveness of Covid vaccines at a 2024 event led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia. Catherine M. Stein is an epidemiology professor who in 2022 called for an end to Covid vaccine mandates at universities.
Dr. Cody Meissner is a professor of pediatrics who opposed vaccine mandates and has questioned the ongoing need for Covid vaccines for children and pregnant women. He previously served on the advisory committee and is widely considered to be the most qualified member.
The others are not known to have spoken out against vaccines. They are Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln, a nutritional neuroscientist; Dr. James Pagano, an emergency medicine physician; Hillary Blackburn, a pharmacist; and Dr. Raymond Pollak, a surgeon and transplant specialist.
The C.D.C. director has the power to accept or reject the immunization committee’s recommendations. The current acting director is Mr. Kennedy’s deputy at the Department of Health and Human Services, Jim O’Neill, a former biotechnology executive. The previous director, Susan Monarez, said she was forced out because she would not agree to accept the newly re-formed committee’s recommendations.
A special adviser to the C.D.C. director, Stuart Burns, is a critical player driving the health secretary’s agenda at the agency. Mr. Burns has been quietly working to remake the immunization committee and its agenda.
Mr. Burns is not a scientist but he worked for decades as a staff member for Republican congressmen known for their vaccine skepticism. One is Dr. Dave Weldon, a former representative from Florida who was also Mr. Kennedy’s original choice for C.D.C. director. The White House withdrew Dr. Weldon’s nomination just hours before his confirmation hearing because some Senate Republicans were concerned about his stance on vaccines.
Mr. Burns works closely with three other Kennedy hires who serve H.H.S. but also work closely with the C.D.C. Dr. Reyn Archer is a former Texas health commissioner who has questioned the safety and value of the Covid vaccine on social media. He serves as a liaison between the health secretary’s office and the C.D.C., and has been helping Mr. Burns to develop and guide the immunization committee.
David Geier is a steadfast figure in the anti-vaccine movement who has spent more than 20 years trying to establish a link between vaccines and autism, despite scientific consensus that there is none. Mr. Geier, who is listed as a senior data analyst in the H.H.S. directory, was given access to federal data on post-vaccination side effects and is using it to continue his studies on autism.
Lyn Redwood is a nurse practitioner and the former head of Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group founded by Mr. Kennedy. Since the early 2000s, Ms. Redwood has criticized the use of mercury as a preservative in vaccines. She has said she believes the ingredient is linked to her son’s autism.
Now listed as an expert at H.H.S., Ms. Redwood gave a presentation in June to the immunization committee, a role usually reserved for C.D.C. scientists. She said that the mercury preservative in vaccines, known as thimerosal, was toxic to children, even though dozens of studies have shown it is harmless in this form. The panel later voted to stop recommending the already limited number of flu vaccines that contained the preservative.
Principal deputy director of the N.I.H.
Skeptical of certain vaccines
N.I.H. director
Critical of Covid vaccine mandates
Dr. Matthew Memoli
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya
Dr. Matthew Memoli is a veteran infectious disease scientist at the National Institutes of Health who now serves as its principal deputy director. As a senior researcher under Dr. Anthony Fauci during the pandemic, Dr. Memoli opposed Covid vaccine mandates and declined to get a shot himself.
Since becoming a leader of the research agency, Dr. Memoli has downplayed the value of vaccines for certain respiratory diseases, according to the whistle-blower complaints of two prominent scientists.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the N.I.H director, sharply criticized vaccine mandates as an academic researcher during the pandemic. He co-wrote an anti-lockdown treatise in 2020 with Dr. Kulldorff, one of Mr. Kennedy’s selections for the C.D.C. immunization committee.
During his confirmation hearing in March, Dr. Bhattacharya reiterated his support for childhood vaccinations for diseases like measles. He also said he was “convinced” vaccines did not cause autism, even as he urged more research on the question, which scientists say has long been settled.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
GRANDPARENTS WHO BABYSIT THEIR GRANDCHILDREN STAY MENTALLY SHARPER, NEW STUDY REVEALS
“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
EXPERTS REVEAL HIDDEN LINK BETWEEN POOR SLEEP AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RISK
The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
DEMENTIA RISK SIGNALS COULD LIE IN SIMPLE BLOOD PRESSURE READINGS, SAY RESEARCHERS
Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Research continues to uncover new details on how fasting may help extend life.
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications investigated how intermittent fasting can boost longevity in small worms often used in aging research.
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas compared worms that were fed normally to those that underwent a 24-hour fast in early adulthood and were then fed again, according to a press release.
POPULAR INTERMITTENT FASTING DIETS MAY NOT DELIVER THE HEALTH BENEFITS MANY EXPECT
The scientists measured a variety of factors, including stored fat, gene activity related to fat metabolism and lifespan.
The results showed that the life-boosting benefit did not depend on the fasting itself but on the body’s behavior after eating again.
Experts say sustainability is key when choosing a long-term weight-loss strategy. (iStock)
Study lead Peter Douglas, associate professor of molecular biology and a member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine at UT Southwestern, suggested that these discoveries “shift the focus toward a neglected side of the metabolic coin – the re-feeding phase.”
“Our data suggest that the health-promoting effects of intermittent fasting are not merely a product of the fast itself, but are dependent on how the metabolic machinery recalibrates during the subsequent transition back to a fed state,” he said.
PEOPLE LOST WEIGHT WHILE EATING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE FOOD — HERE’S THE SECRET
“Our findings bridge a gap between lipid metabolism and aging research,” he added. “By targeting aging, the single greatest risk factor for human disease, we move beyond treating isolated conditions toward a preventive model of medicine that enhances quality of life for all individuals.”
Lauri Wright, director of nutrition programs at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health, called this a “high-quality” study that adds an “important nuance to how we think about fasting and longevity.”
Intermittent fasting typically involves limiting meals to an eight-hour daily window or fasting every other day. (iStock)
The benefits of the refeeding phase after fasting were “especially interesting,” Wright, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“The researchers showed that longevity was linked to the body’s ability to turn off fat breakdown after fasting, allowing cells to restore energy balance,” she reiterated.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“From a scientific standpoint, that’s a meaningful shift because it suggests fasting is not just about burning fat, but about metabolic flexibility.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Fasting may support longevity through triggering metabolic switching, enhancing cellular repair and stress resistance and improving markers like insulin sensitivity, research shows.
Limitations and cautions
Although this study provides “important insight” on the power of refeeding, Wright noted that the findings should be approached with caution, as the study was done on worms and cannot always be translated to humans.
“Additionally, it explains how a process might work in a controlled lab condition rather than real-world eating behaviors,” she added as a limitation. “Finally, the study is short-term and doesn’t give us the long-term translation on lifespan outcomes.”
The review found intermittent fasting was barely more effective than doing nothing, according to the study authors. (iStock)
Wright cautioned that fasting is “not a magic solution for longevity, and how you eat overall matters more than when you eat.”
“I advise, first and foremost, to focus on diet quality, including a variety of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and minimally processed foods,” she said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
For those who are considering fasting, it’s better to stick with a moderate plan — like a 12- to 14-hour overnight fast — rather than going to extremes, Wright said. After fasting, she recommends focusing on well-balanced meals.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Several groups of people should be cautioned against fasting, according to Wright, including those with diabetes who are on insulin or hypoglycemic medications, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone with a history of eating disorders and older adults at risk of malnutrition.
Anyone considering intermittent fasting should consult with a doctor before starting.
-
Detroit, MI17 minutes agoGame 21: Tigers at Red Sox, Garrett Crochet battles both Detroit and the weather
-
San Francisco, CA29 minutes agoWhy do gray whales keep dying in San Francisco’s waters?
-
Dallas, TX35 minutes agoDallas Mavericks Owners Might Be Making Big Mistake in Search for New GM
-
Miami, FL41 minutes agoDefense dominates, Mensah flashes in Miami’s spring game – The Miami Hurricane
-
Boston, MA47 minutes ago
A crowd scientist is helping the Boston Marathon manage a growing field of 30,000-plus runners
-
Denver, CO53 minutes agoDenver Nuggets Altitude broadcasts now being offered in Spanish for first time ever
-
Seattle, WA59 minutes agoNeed to shred? Free drive-up/ride-up shredding Wednesday at Village Green West Seattle
-
San Diego, CA1 hour agoGame 21: San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Angels
