RFK Jr. Adds 5 Members to Vaccine Advisory Committee Ahead of Meeting

Key Takeaways

• Five new members have been added to the vaccine advisory panel of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Some appointees have previously questioned aspects of COVID-19 response and vaccines

• The panel meets this week to review vaccines for COVID-19, RSV and other diseases

TUESDAY, Sept. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Five new members have been appointed to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory committee, federal health officials announced.

The move comes just days before the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meets to review vaccines for COVID-19 and several other diseases.

The new members are:

• Catherine Stein, an epidemiologist and professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland

• Dr. Evelyn Griffin, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Baton Rouge

• Hillary Blackburn, director of medication access and affordability at AscensionRx in St. Louis

• Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist at For Hearts and Souls Free Medical Clinic in Hawaii

• Dr. Raymond Pollak, an Illinois surgeon and transplant immunobiologist

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he plans to appoint as many as seven new members. 

In June, Kennedy removed all 17 members of the panel, claiming it had “persistent conflicts of interest,” though no evidence was provided, CNN said.

Some of the new appointees have expressed skepticism about the nation’s COVID-19 response or the vaccines in general. For example, Stein co-authored a paper critical of pandemic models, while Griffin spoke at a 2024 event questioning vaccine requirements. 

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Milhoan, meanwhile, spoke at a panel last year, suggesting a link between COVID shots and heart problems, even though fact-checkers have said his interpretation of the data was incorrect.

Pollak previously acted as a whistleblower in a University of Illinois at Chicago case involving corrupt transplant practices.

The next ACIP meeting is set for Sept. 18 and 19. The panel is expected to discuss vaccines for COVID-19, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox) and RSV.

More information

Learn more about the role of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCE: CNN, Sept. 15, 2025

What This Means For You

The vaccine advisory group helps shape national vaccine recommendations.