Kennedy claimed conflict of interest as some old members were past employees of Pfizer & Moderna
Grok
“U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced eight new members to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on June 11, 2025, after dismissing all 17 previous members. The new appointees, described by Kennedy as committed to evidence-based medicine, are:
- **Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD**: A psychiatrist and neuroscientist, formerly acting chief of the NIH’s section on nutritional neurosciences.
- **Martin Kulldorff, PhD**: A biostatistician and epidemiologist, former Harvard professor, co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, which opposed COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates for children.
- **Retsef Levi, PhD**: MIT professor of operations management, expert in healthcare analytics and risk management, has published studies on mRNA vaccine safety and cardiovascular events.
- **Robert W. Malone, MD**: A physician-scientist and biochemist, known for anti-vaccine views and skepticism about mRNA vaccine technology, aligned with Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement.
- **Cody Meissner, MD**: Professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, previously served on ACIP (2008–2012) and the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee, co-wrote an editorial criticizing mask mandates for children.
- **James Pagano, MD**: A board-certified emergency medicine physician, described as a strong advocate for evidence-based medicine, with experience on hospital committees and medical executive boards.
- **Vicky Pebsworth, OP, PhD, RN**: A nurse, former consumer representative on the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee, now associated with the National Vaccine Information Center, a group advocating for vaccine exemptions.
- **Michael A. Ross, MD**: Professor of obstetrics and gynecology at George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University, an operating partner at Havencrest, a private equity firm, with experience on biotech and healthcare boards.
These appointments have sparked controversy, with critics like the American Medical Association and public health experts expressing concern over the inclusion of vaccine skeptics and the lack of transparency in the selection process. The new panel is set to meet June 25–27, 2025, to discuss vaccine recommendations, but with only eight members, it lacks the quorum required for voting unless additional members or temporary voting authorizations are added.[](https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/11/health/kennedy-new-members-vaccine-advisory-panel)[](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr4zyp26xn2o)[](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/13/eight-new-cdc-vaccine-advisers-robert-f-kennedy)
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