Kennedy picks seven new members for US CDC vaccine panel, document shows

Source: Reuters

September 3, 2025 8:17 PM EDT Updated 21 mins ago


WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has chosen seven new members for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's panel of vaccine experts, an internal CDC document showed on Wednesday.

The Department of Health and Human Services has directed the CDC to name the new members to its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, according to the document, which was seen by Reuters. Inside Medicine, a Substack blog, reported on the new ACIP members earlier on Wednesday.

Kennedy fired all 17 members of the panel in June and replaced them with eight hand-picked advisers, though one has since left the panel. The move by Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccines, raised concerns about whether the panel's independence in vaccine recommendations might be compromised.

Among the seven prospective members named in the document is Dr. Raymond Pollak, a semi-retired transplant surgeon with a background in immunology who confirmed he has been asked to serve on the panel.
"I'm being considered pending the vetting process. If I was offered the position, I would think carefully about it," he said.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kennedy-picks-seven-new-members-us-cdc-vaccine-panel-document-shows-2025-09-04/