Pro and cons from Groc - many previous members worked for Pfizer & Moderna in the past.
“On June 11, 2025, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced eight new members to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), replacing the previous 17 members. Below are brief biographies of the new members based on available information:
1. **Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD**
- **Background**: Psychiatrist and neuroscientist, formerly the acting chief of the Section of Nutritional Neurosciences in the Laboratory of Membrane Biophysics & Biochemistry at the National Institutes of Health.
- **Expertise**: Known for research on nutritional impacts on mental health, particularly omega-3 fatty acids. Limited public record on vaccine-specific work, suggesting minimal direct experience in vaccine policy.
- **Notable**: His inclusion is less controversial than others, but his vaccine expertise appears limited compared to prior ACIP members.[](https://www.vaccineadvisor.com/news/rfk-jr-selects-8-new-members-for-cdcs-vaccine-advisory-panel/)
2. **Martin Kulldorff, PhD**
- **Background**: Biostatistician and epidemiologist, formerly a professor at Harvard Medical School until his dismissal, which he attributed to his criticism of COVID-19 policies.
- **Expertise**: Co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration (2020), advocating for herd immunity through natural infection rather than lockdowns. Has published 51 vaccine-related papers, primarily on safety and adverse events, making him one of the more prolific researchers on the panel. Previously served on the CDC’s vaccine safety subgroup and the FDA’s Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee.
- **Notable**: While supportive of vaccines like smallpox, he opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates and vaccinations for children, raising concerns about his alignment with evidence-based vaccine policy.[](https://www.science.org/content/article/members-rfk-jr-s-new-vaccine-committee-have-published-little-vaccines)[](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/11/rfk-jr-malone-cdc-vaccine-committee.html)[](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/rfk-jr-new-vaccine-advisers-panel)
3. **Retsef Levi, PhD**
- **Background**: Professor of operations management at MIT Sloan School of Management, with expertise in healthcare analytics and risk management.
- **Expertise**: No peer-reviewed vaccine publications noted. In 2023, Levi posted on X claiming mRNA vaccines cause serious harm, including death, particularly in young people, and called for their immediate withdrawal—claims contradicted by extensive data on vaccine safety.
- **Notable**: His lack of vaccine science expertise and public anti-vaccine statements have drawn significant criticism from public health experts.[](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/11/rfk-jr-malone-cdc-vaccine-committee.html)[](https://apnews.com/article/cdc-acip-vaccine-committee-9f58e1f004075b081718ff078de88d76)[](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/rfk-jr-new-vaccine-advisers-panel)
4. **Robert W. Malone, MD**
- **Background**: Physician-scientist and biochemist, contributed to early mRNA technology research in the 1980s.
- **Expertise**: Became a prominent critic of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, falsely claiming credit for inventing them. Suggested without evidence that measles deaths were due to medical errors rather than vaccine refusal. Acknowledged in Kennedy’s 2021 book *The Real Anthony Fauci* for opposing COVID-19 policies.
- **Notable**: Widely criticized for spreading vaccine misinformation, his appointment has alarmed public health advocates due to his anti-vaccine activism.[](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/11/rfk-jr-malone-cdc-vaccine-committee.html)[](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/rfk-jr-cdc-acip-vaccine-panel-eight-new-members-rcna212477)[](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/rfk-jr-new-vaccine-advisers-panel)
5. **Cody Meissner, MD**
- **Background**: Professor of pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, former ACIP member (2008–2012), and served on the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.
- **Expertise**: Pediatric infectious disease specialist with significant vaccine policy experience, including 12 conflict-of-interest disclosures during his prior ACIP tenure. Co-signed the Great Barrington Declaration and co-wrote a 2021 editorial criticizing mask mandates for children. Praised measles vaccines in 2024 for their safety and efficacy.
- **Notable**: Considered the most qualified and least controversial of Kennedy’s picks, though his past conflicts of interest and Great Barrington involvement raise some concerns.[](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/13/eight-new-cdc-vaccine-advisers-robert-f-kennedy)[](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/rfk-jr-names-8-vaccine-panel-replacements-including-a-critic-of-covid-vaccines)[](https://apnews.com/article/cdc-acip-vaccine-committee-9f58e1f004075b081718ff078de88d76)
6. **James Pagano, MD**
- **Background**: Board-certified emergency medicine physician based in Los Angeles.
- **Expertise**: Described by Kennedy as a “strong advocate for evidence-based medicine” with experience on hospital committees and medical executive boards. No vaccine-related publications or significant public record on vaccine policy.
- **Notable**: His limited vaccine expertise has led to questions about his suitability for ACIP’s complex decision-making.[](https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/11/health/kennedy-new-members-vaccine-advisory-panel)[](https://apnews.com/article/cdc-acip-vaccine-committee-9f58e1f004075b081718ff078de88d76)
7. **Vicky Pebsworth, OP, PhD, RN**
- **Background**: Nurse and Pacific regional director for the National Association of Catholic Nurses. Former consumer representative on the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee and volunteer research director for the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), an organization widely criticized for promoting vaccine misinformation.
- **Expertise**: Claimed her son suffered health issues post-vaccination, fueling her vaccine safety concerns. No peer-reviewed vaccine publications noted.
- **Notable**: Her NVIC ties and anti-vaccine advocacy, including questioning COVID-19 vaccine safety, make her a highly controversial pick, with critics warning of potential bias.[](https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/11/health/kennedy-new-members-vaccine-advisory-panel)[](https://apnews.com/article/cdc-acip-vaccine-committee-9f58e1f004075b081718ff078de88d76)[](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/rfk-jr-new-vaccine-advisers-panel)
8. **Michael A. Ross, MD**
- **Background**: Obstetrician-gynecologist based in Virginia, operating partner at Havencrest Capital Management, a private equity firm investing in healthcare, including vaccine trials. Previously served on the CDC’s Advisory Committee for the Prevention of Breast and Cervical Cancer.
- **Expertise**: No vaccine-related publications noted. Co-signed a letter during the pandemic criticizing a study on ivermectin’s ineffectiveness against COVID-19. Holds board roles in biotech startups, raising questions about industry ties.
- **Notable**: His financial connections to healthcare investments and lack of vaccine expertise have sparked concerns about conflicts of interest and qualifications.[](https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/11/health/kennedy-new-members-vaccine-advisory-panel)[](https://apnews.com/article/cdc-acip-vaccine-committee-9f58e1f004075b081718ff078de88d76)[](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/rfk-jr-advisory-panel-concerns-anti-vaccine-bias-rcna213496)
This summary reflects available data as of August 1, 2025, and critically examines the appointments in light of public health concerns. For further details, see cited sources or official HHS announcements.
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