NEWSROOM

The criticism of the RFK Jr.-controlled CDC's decision to cut back vaccine recommendations continues to mount, with DPH Coordinating Committee member Elizabeth Jacobs telling HuffPost, “There is no scientific evidence supporting the change in recommendations, and therefore, Mr. Kennedy was unable to provide any.”

In one of the world's top medical journals, DPH Coordinating Committee member Jon Shaffer and a colleague discuss the high-profile physicians aiding and abetting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s destruction of U.S. public health and the need for clinicians, public health workers and citizens to fight back.

In this article about the administration's removal of vaccines from the childhood schedule, epidemiologist and DPH Coordinating Committee member Elizabeth Jacobs comments, “It’s simply going to cause more confusion and chaos among parents who really aren’t sure what this means, and because there is so little justification for it, that just adds to the confusion.”

In an article that pulls no punches about the many differences between U.S. healthcare and Denmark's, Ars Technica quotes DPH Coordinating Committee member James Alwine alongside a variety of expert critics or RFK Jr.'s sharp reduction in the number of recommended vaccines, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association.

The LA Times reports on the Trump Administration's decision to remove Hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, RSV, bacterial meningitis and influenza from the pediatric vaccine schedule. Experts including Defend Public Health Coordinating Committee Member Dr. James Alwine talk about the potential for these changes to increase the spread of communicable diseases.

Health and medical organizations denounce the RFK Jr.-inspired decision to cut the number of recommended vaccines, quoting Coordinating Committee member and virologist James Alwine from DPH's statement.

In coverage of the CDC's decision to pare back childhood vaccine recommendations, DPH Coordinating Committee member James Alwine comments, “Viruses and bacteria that were under control are being set free on our most vulnerable. It may take one or two years for the tragic consequences to become clear, but this is like asking farmers in North Dakota to grow pineapples. It won’t work and can’t end well.”

In this year end review, Norbert Goldfield reflects on the good, bad and many ugly changes in US health policy under the Trump Administration in 2025 and how healthcare might play an important role in national politics in 2026 particularly as rising healthcare costs become a larger part of the conversation about the affordability crisis.

The Nation's Health reports on how Trump administration changes in federal aid will negatively impact current and future students in health related fields. Experts including Defend Public Health Coordinating Committee Member Gregg Gonsalves weigh in on how these changes will reduce the number of doctors, nurses and other health professionals coming into the health system.

DPH Coordinating Committee members Elizabeth Jacobs and James Alwain urge Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to to join the 14 states and one territory that have formed the Governors’ Public Health Alliance, working to mitigate the crippling of federal public health efforts by strengthening emergency preparedness, improving communication, sharing data and expertise, and helping ensure states and territories can respond quickly and consistently to emerging health threats.

Scientific American talks to epidemiologists about the dangers of HHS Secretary Kennedy's reported intent to make U.S. childhood vaccination recommendations similar to Denmark's. DPH member Jessica Malaty Rivera calls the idea "a terrible mistake," a sentiment echoed by other experts.