On Sept. 15, HHS appointed five new members to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which is meeting later this week to vote on vaccines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
In June, HHS removed all 17 standing members of ACIP and replaced them with eight handpicked members, one of which stepped down on the claim of financial conflicts of interest. Several of the new members have shared anti-vaccine rhetoric or made unfounded claims about vaccines, according to CNBC.
The five newly appointed members are:
- Catherine Stein, PhD, an epidemiologist and professor in Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Population & Quantitative Health Sciences and School of Medicine in Cleveland.
- Evelyn Griffin, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Baton Rouge (La.) General Hospital.
- Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, director of medication access and affordability at St. Louis-based Ascension. She previously served as chief pharmacy officer at the Dispensary of Hope, a charitable medication distributor.
- Kirk Milhoan, MD, PhD, a pediatric cardiologist and medical director at For Hearts and Souls Free Medical Clinic in Kihei, Hawaii. He is also a member of the Independent Medical Alliance, a group that has incorrectly claimed COVID-19 vaccines caused rising infant mortality rates, according to The New York Times.
- Raymond Pollak, MD, a surgeon, transplant immunobiologist and transplant specialist. He previously served as chief of liver transplantation and director of multi-organ transplant programs at the University of Illinois.
