EXCLUSIVE: Retsef Levi unveils new members of his Covid vaccine work group
A hand-picked team of leading scientists and clinicians will take on the most contentious questions about Covid vaccine safety and policy.
Today, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) has revealed the full line-up for its newly constituted Covid-19 vaccine work group.
The group, led by MIT professor Retsef Levi, will examine the most pressing and unresolved questions about the Covid vaccines that were neglected during the emergency roll-out.
The Terms of Reference, published last month, include investigating DNA contamination in vaccine vials, the persistence of mRNA and spike protein in the body, immune system changes from repeated boosting, cardiovascular risks, reproductive and pregnancy safety, and the disabling syndromes reported by vaccine-injured patients.
As reported here in an exclusive interview with Levi earlier this month, government lawyers in the Department of Health had objected to granting him such a broad mandate, urging that sensitive topics like vaccine injuries be excluded.
Levi told me that he would not accept those limits, and the expanded Terms of Reference were ultimately adopted.
This week, Reuters corroborated that account, confirming that HHS lawyers had raised objections before Levi’s authority was finalised.
Now Levi has gone further, unveiling a hand-picked team of leading scientists and clinicians with impeccable credentials, each chosen for their unique expertise.
Alongside Levi are two fellow ACIP members:
Dr Robert Malone, a physician and early pioneer of mRNA vaccine technology. His deep technical knowledge will be applied to unresolved questions about biodistribution, persistence, and potential genetic integration.
Dr James Pagano, a senior emergency physician with more than forty years of frontline experience. He has treated patients with both acute Covid illness and post-vaccine complications, giving him critical clinical insight.
They are joined by a selected group of outside experts:
Christine Stabell Benn, MD, PhD – Professor of global health at the University of Southern Denmark, internationally recognised for her pioneering research on vaccines’ non-specific effects.
Joe Fraiman, MD – An emergency physician from New Orleans who has published re-analyses of pivotal trial data, highlighting imbalances in serious adverse events. His methodological rigour is central to reassessing the harm–benefit profile of Covid vaccines.
Wafik El-Deiry, MD, PhD – An oncologist and director of the Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University, best known for discovering the tumour suppressor gene p21. His knowledge of molecular oncology will be crucial in probing potential DNA integration and cancer risks.
Mitchell Miglis, MD – A Stanford neurologist specialising in autonomic dysfunction and long Covid. Miglis brings crucial expertise in understanding neurological and cardiovascular sequelae after vaccination, particularly dysautonomia and POTS.
Bruce Carleton, PharmD, PhD – Director of the Canadian Pharmacogenomics Network for Drug Safety. Carleton’s decades of research into genetic predisposition to adverse drug reactions will help identify why some individuals suffer severe vaccine-related harms while others do not.
Suzanne Gazda, MD – A neurologist based in Texas who has treated hundreds of patients with long Covid and post-vaccine neurological syndromes. Her clinical practice will help validate injury patterns too often ignored.
Douglas Jones, MD – A Utah allergist and immunologist renowned for his work in oral immunotherapy and immune disorders. Jones’ expertise will be critical in probing autoimmune phenomena and allergic responses following vaccination.
Jordan Vaughn, MD – An Alabama internist and president of the Microvascular Research Foundation, who has documented microclots and endothelial injury in long Covid and post-vaccine patients. His work on microvascular pathology will be central to the group’s cardiovascular inquiry.
Charlotte Kuperwasser, PhD – A Tufts University cancer biologist who has studied mammary gland biology and endocrine signalling. Her expertise will inform the evaluation of reproductive and pregnancy safety.
Stanley Perlman, MD, PhD – University of Iowa virologist and paediatrician, among the world’s leading coronavirus experts. A former ACIP member, he brings decades of work on viral pathogenesis and immune responses, experience vital to reassessing the long-term safety and efficacy of Covid vaccines.
Erle Robertson, PhD – A University of Pennsylvania virologist with decades of research into persistent viral infections. Robertson’s insights will be key to understanding the possibility of long-term mRNA or spike protein persistence.
Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD – A physician-epidemiologist now working with the FDA, known for her critical analyses of Covid vaccine safety. She provides an unusual bridge between regulatory oversight and independent scientific inquiry.
Henry “Hank” Bernstein, DO – A paediatrician and former ACIP member with long experience in vaccine schedule development. Bernstein’s institutional knowledge will help situate US Covid vaccine policy in an international context.
This is a watershed moment in the oversight of Covid-19 vaccines.
Instead of defaulting to predefined safety narratives, ACIP now confronts the evidence with a team chosen for its competence, not alignment.
Members of this work group hold a range of perspectives on Covid-19 vaccine safety, ensuring debates will be robust and evidence-driven.
The mainstream media may label some members as “anti-vaccine,” but the reality is they are respected clinicians and researchers, hand-picked to address scientific uncertainty—and to do so with rigour.
Today, several will present their first evidence on Covid-19 vaccines during Day 2 of ACIP’s meeting.
The Sensational Sixteen 👏
I am glad that Dr. Jordan Vaughn from Alabama is on this group. Scott Harris, Alabama’s incompetent SHO, was never the best Alabama has to offer.