The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has added five new members to its voting panel, the latest step in a sweeping reshuffle of U.S. vaccine policy.
The shake-up began in June, when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. retired all 17 ACIP members and installed fresh voices. For decades, the panel had been criticised for being dominated by government and industry-aligned academics.
Now, under Kennedy, ACIP looks markedly different.
“Its new members bring diverse expertise that strengthens the committee and ensures it fulfills its mission with transparency, independence, and gold-standard science,” Kennedy said in announcing the appointments.
Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill praised the additions as “a wealth of real-world public health experience,” adding they were essential to restoring public confidence “lost during the Biden era.”
O’Neill took over as acting director after Kennedy fired former CDC chief Susan Monarez after a dispute. Monarez is scheduled to appear before Congress later this week.