New vaccine panel members as RFK reshapes CDC oversight

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has appointed five new members to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The move, announced September 15, reflects health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s broader effort to overhaul the panel, which plays a central role in shaping national vaccination policy.

Mr Kennedy, who reconstituted ACIP in June, said the changes were aimed at improving transparency and public trust. The committee’s new appointees include Catherine Stein, professor of epidemiology at Case Western Reserve University; Evelyn Griffin, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Louisiana; Hillary Blackburn, a pharmacy leader with AscensionRx; Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist and clinic director in Hawaii; and Raymond Pollak, a transplant specialist with extensive research and leadership credentials.

Shifting tone in vaccine policy