Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dismissed at least four of the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) before their terms expired, The Hill reported.
The eight-member panel issues recommendations regarding which vaccines and conditions should be included in the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a division established within HHS to shield vaccine makers from most lawsuits claiming vaccine-related injury.
Clinician and pediatric researcher Wendy Lane, pediatrician Natasha Burgert, and pediatrician Joshua Williams have all had their terms prematurely ended ahead of the scheduled end to their tenures.
Stat News previously reported that Lane and Veronica McNally, an attorney who is also director of trial advocacy at Michigan State University, received emails on Tuesday informing them of their removals.
The dismissals draw parallels with RFK Jr.’s unilateral decision to fire all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June 2025, citing conflicts of interest and other concerns.
Under Kennedy, a well-known vaccine skeptic, the CDC has made several notable changes to the U.S. immunization schedule, including a decision to recommend fewer vaccines for most American children this year.
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