We're standing at a crossroads in public health.
On one hand, we're witnessing an extraordinary era of vaccine innovation, new platforms, new protection and new possibilities for disease prevention. On the other hand, we're grappling with an unprecedented erosion of public trust and outbreaks to preventable diseases, such as measles. Vaccine misinformation is no longer a fringe issue. It's a mainstream force reshaping clinical workflows, public health strategies and national policy.
In 2025, the science for vaccines has never been stronger, but science is no longer enough.
Meet our expert panelists
Georges Benjamin, M.D., FACP
Executive Director, American Public Health Association
Jen Brull, M.D., FAAFP
President, American Academy of Family Physicians
William Schaffner, M.D.
Professor of Preventive Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Tina Q. Tan, M.D., FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS
Professor of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University; President, Infectious Diseases Society of America
Charles Vega, M.D., FAAFP
Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, Associate Dean for Culture and Community Education, University of California, Irvine
Our moderator:
Heather Stoltzfus, M.P.H., R.N., CIC
Research Nurse Program Manager, Johns Hopkins University Division of Infectious Diseases; Consultant, Broad Street Prevention; Editorial Adviser, Infection Control Today
Medical Economics and Infection Control Today brought together a powerhouse panel of experts, frontline physicians, national policy leaders and infectious disease specialists to help us make sense of this evolving landscape. We'll examine the implications of recent policy shifts, unpack the real-world impact of vaccine hesitancy, and, most importantly, discuss how we can lead with evidence, empathy and action.
This isn't just about staying informed; it's about staying engaged. And as physicians, infection preventionists, leaders and advocates, we each have a role to play in rebuilding public confidence and reinforcing the foundational promise of public health.
The following panel discussion was recorded on April 29, 2025. The full discussion is available here. This segment highlights discussion around how recent changes to federal health agencies and federal policy under President Donald J. Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is impacting vaccine guidance and policy. The transcript below was edited for length and clarity.
The bad news: Health policy is undermining vaccines
Stoltzfus: From a policy standpoint, in 2025, I think it's safe to say that everything is different. There's growing concern about the political leadership of HHS [US Department of Health and Human Services] and how vaccine-related decisions are being made. Dr. Benjamin, how are current federal policies impacting public health vaccination goals?
Benjamin: I like to think about this in three areas: policy, coherent messaging and infrastructure. We had a very rational and science-driven process to evaluate vaccines, from the regulatory aspect through the FDA, and then to the CDC, which would refine which patients would get which vaccines under what conditions. Then collectively, the federal government would make a national recommendation, and we would implement those recommendations based on the systems we had in place. For example, during [the] COVID-19 [pandemic], we increased the number of people to [receive] shots and the number of places to [administer] shots and improved our ability to get people to those places to get shots in arms.
That's been taken apart. We've had a lack of consistent, coherent messaging. It's all right to get your measles shot, but maybe not. This lack of coherent messaging means that we've learned nothing about risk communication, about the importance of consistent messaging that's evidence-based.
Finally, as Dr Schaffner said best, as he always does, vaccines do no one any good in the freezer on the shelf. The challenge is the administration has, quite frankly, taken apart the infrastructure to get shots in arms. The core public health infrastructure right now has been decimated already. Look at the measles outbreak that we have right now. When the funding cuts hit, that trickles down to local communities and [it] has disrupted the federal, state and local partnerships that we have for vaccines. We're very concerned about this. We're hoping, in the next 100 days, the administration reverses course. The system needs to be rebuilt.
