United States Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced eight new members to serve on the CDC’s vaccine panel after abruptly laying off all of its 17 members earlier this week. Several of the new appointees have publicly questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines, particularly mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.
The reshaped Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which guides national vaccine recommendations after FDA approval, now includes figures such as Robert Malone, a leading voice in the anti-mRNA vaccine movement and an ally of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again campaign.
Other appointees include Joseph Hibbeln, Martin Kulldorff, Retsef Levi, Cody Meissner, James Pagano, Vicky Pebsworth, and Michael Ross. While four have previously worked with CDC or FDA advisory groups, several have shared views critical of vaccines on social media or in publications.
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Kennedy, a vaccine critic himself, defended the panel’s dismissal as a step to “restore public trust in vaccine science,” alleging, without specific evidence, that prior members had conflicts of interest. The dismissed members, many appointed during the Biden administration, have stated they followed strict vetting and recusal protocols.
The newly formed committee is expected to participate in the ACIP’s June 25–27 meeting, where it will vote on usage guidelines for upcoming flu shots, childhood immunizations, and COVID-19 booster doses for 2025–26. An agenda for the meeting has not yet been released.
Created in 1964, the ACIP advises the CDC on how FDA-approved vaccines should be used. Its guidance is typically accepted by the CDC director and widely followed by healthcare providers and public health agencies across the United States.
