Newsroom | Defend Public Health

Public health coalition: Don’t trust RFK Jr on autism

It's us. Defend Public Health is the coalition saying that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shouldn't be trusted with his anticipated report on Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is set to be released this month. We aren't sure what is coming, but it is likely to be misinformation, pseudoscience, and nonsense. That is why we released our own report based on the 30,000 plus scientific papers that have been published on the topic of risk factors for ASD.

defend public health

Don’t Believe RFK Jr. on Autism, Says New Report from Defend Public Health

With Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promising to announce “causes” of a supposed “autism epidemic” this month, Defend Public Health is preemptively warning the public not to trust anything that he or HHS says on the subject without confirming with other sources. To arm journalists and the public with the facts, DPH has released a summary of what is known and not known about causes and risk factors for autism spectrum disorder, including the extensive evidence that vaccines are not to blame, in its new report, Risk Factors for Autism Spectrum Disorder: What We Already Know from Scientific Evidence.

RFK Jr Faces Senate Finance Committee. Here’s What They Should Ask

This new article in Forbes describes the questions that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should face in his Senate Hearing on September 4th, and includes a mention of Defend Public Health's new evidence-based report on the risk factors for Autism Spectrum Disorder, which do not include vaccines.

RFK Jr's Whopper of the Week

Whopper of the Week: Kennedy claims that COVID19 vaccines are accessible to all who want them

Kennedy has not made COVID19 vaccines accessible to "people who want them, especially the vulnerable". He has made them less accessible to those who need them. His actions are in direct conflict with the scientific evidence demonstrating the safety and efficacy of COVID19 vaccines, as well as the recommendations from expert professionals.

Could Trump and RFK Jr. Ban the Covid Vaccine?

Writer Elizabeth Yuko details all the ways HHS Secretary Kennedy could make it impossible to get a COVID vaccine, quoting DPH Coordinating Committee member James Alwine about the dire consequences: "We’re really in a bad place in this country as far as being able to defend ourselves against the virus. We’re going to see lots of people getting sick."

Why Grandparents Must Lead on Vaccines

In this nationally syndicated column, DPH members Donna Gaffney and Teri Mills discuss recent cuts to vaccine research and the dismembering of a key CDC advisory panel on immunization, urging grandparents to take the lead in defending their grandchildren by standing up for vaccination.

RFK Jr. targets CDC with a ridiculous complaint as chaos grips the agency

In this MSNBC Maddowblog article about HHS Secretary Kennedy's upending of the CDC, DPH member Dr. Kathleen Bachynski, a professor of public health at Muhlenberg College, went after Kennedy's bizarre comments about being able to diagnose children with "mitochondrial dysfunction" while walking through airports. She describes RFK Jr.'s statement as “absolute gibberish,” calling the HHS secretary a “dangerous buffoon.”

Trump’s Decapitation of CDC Takes Darker Turn—and Hands Dems a Weapon

Columnist Greg Sargent looks at the Trump/RFK assault on the CDC and its political implications. DPH Coordinating Committee member Gregg Gonsalves tells him that state and local governments must step up: “It’s crucial for the American people to know that in many places at the local and state level, public health is alive and well.”

48hills

The real reason so many people in the US have unhealthy diets

DPH Coordinating Member Bruce Mirken talks about the real challenges to good nutrition in America like food deserts and food insecurity that RFK Jr. and the Trump administration fail to address.

Forbes

Revised Covid Vaccine Rules Create Confusion And Turmoil - What To Know

Forbes unpacks the misleading messaging from RFK Jr. on COVID vaccine access and how changes within federal health agencies will limit Americans' access, quoting DPH Coordinating Committee members Elizabeth Jacobs and Gregg Gonsalves.

Anti-vaccine misinformation can terrorize new parents, but science leads to truth

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD, shares her story of encountering online vaccine misinformation in the early 2000's, and how she used her scientific training to uncover the truth.

HIV Specialist cover summer 2025

At a Crossroads: Why HIV Specialists Must Embrace Advocacy and Speak Out

In the summer issue of HIV Specialist, DPH member Gary F. Spinner traces the history of HIV specialist medical providers as advocates and urges providers to embrace advocacy at a moment when many aspects of public health are under attack. He lays out specific ways healthcare providers can get involved.