ACIP leader moves to HHS ‘in-house think tank’ advising RFK on health policy

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will have a new leader when the panel meets this week.

ACIP Chair Martin Kulldorff, PhD, has been appointed chief science officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (APSE) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). That office serves as “HHS’ in-house think tank” to advise HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist who taught at Harvard Medical School, presided over ACIP’s two meetings earlier this year. This year the panel became well-known when Kennedy fired the existing members and appointed new ones. The move prompted criticism from medical organizations worried ACIP would adopt an antivaccine stance, although Kennedy praised Kulldorff in HHS’ official announcement about Kulldorff’s new job.

“Martin Kulldorff transformed ACIP from a rubber stamp into a committee that delivers gold-standard science for the American people,” Kennedy said in the statement. “I’m glad to welcome him to my team to help develop bold, evidence-based policies to Make America Healthy Again.”

ACIP falls under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and was not Kulldorff’s only work with federal health regulators. His official HHS biography stated he helped build the CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine and drug safety surveillance systems “by developing new statistical and epidemiological methods for the Vaccine Safety Datalink and Sentinel systems. He also served on the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee and on the ACIP COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical Work Group.”

“It’s an honor to join the team of distinguished scientists that Secretary Kennedy has assembled,” Kulldorff said in the announcement. “I look forward to contributing to the science-based public health policies that will Make America Healthy Again.”

Kulldorff also co-wrote the “Great Barrington Declaration” with Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, now the director of the National Institutes of Health. They advocated against the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. In the announcement, Bhattacharya said their “evidence-based approach to public health now permeates HHS.”

ACIP leadership

HHS announced the new chair of ACIP will be Kirk Milhoan, MD, PhD, a pediatric cardiologist and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon. Robert Malone, MD, serves as vice chair.

ACIP is scheduled to meet Dec. 4 and 5. Its draft agenda includes discussion on the hepatitis B vaccine; the CDC vaccine risk monitoring Evaluation; the vaccine schedule history; childhood/adolescent immunization schedule; vaccine schedule considerations; and adjuvants and contaminants.

Other leadership changes

Late last month, Kennedy also announced additional leadership appointments within HHS.

• Brian Christine, MD, is assistant secretary for health. A specialist in men’s health, Christine earned his medical degree from Emory University and completed a residency in urology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also maintains the rank admiral as head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

“I am honored to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Health at this pivotal time,” Christine said in a statement. “Americans are facing a health care crisis that demands we put patients at the center of every decision. My priorities will be restoring trust in public health, radical transparency, and advancing chronic disease prevention. By putting patients first, we can ensure every American has the opportunity to live a healthier, more fulfilling life.”

• Alex J. Adams, PharmD, MPH, will be assistant secretary for family support in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Adams spent more than 10 years working in Idaho for Gov. Brad Little and the state Department of Health & Welfare.

“Every child deserves a family, and every family deserves the opportunity to achieve the American dream,” Adams said in a statement. “I am deeply honored to lead ACF and work alongside hundreds of dedicated public servants to achieve meaningful change for America’s children and families.” 

• Gustav Chiarello, MPP, JD, will be assistant secretary for financial resources. Chiarello has served as legal counsel subcommittees in the House of Representatives and for the Federal Trade Commission.

“I learned that good policy comes from asking good questions, and I look forward to capitalizing on my experience and background to bring health care spending under control, to generate greater access to care and important medicines, to revitalizing the science behind our health care, and thereby spur the mission to promote a healthier America,” Chiarello said.

• Michael Stuart, JD, will serve as general counsel. In 2017, President Donald J. trump appointed Stuart to serve as U.S. attorney in the southern district of West Virginia, where he led all federal law enforcement. In his statement, Stuart said he is the only former U.S. attorney to serve as HHS general counsel, and he will “bring a sharp scalpel and a fierce determination to issues like fraud, waste and abuse.”

“I know fraud and abuse because I prosecuted it on a historic scale,” Stuart said.

• Alicia Jackson, PhD, will serve as director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Jackson holds a doctorate in materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Most recently she served as CEO of Evernow, a company she founded to focus on women’s health and longevity.

“I am honored to lead ARPA-H, bringing together the world’s best innovators to rapidly tackle the hardest health challenges facing Americans today,” Jackson said. “Our goal is to make the impossible, probable, and change the course of human health.”