The White House is keeping RFK on a tight leash on vaccines. But he is still doing enormous damage to the public health safety net Out now in @jamahealthforum.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

The cruise ship hantavirus outbreak is a warning the world cannot ignore It will not be another covid-19 But it shows how unprepared the world remains The Hondius outbreak was a stress test for pandemic preparedness We failed badly @wapo Just Out www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

The hantavirus outbreak is a stress test for WHO's IHR. Cape Verde should allow disembarkation if it has capacity The IHR requires a risk assessment, and there is no risk to the local pop. This happened during COVID & it's why the IHR were amended. We haven't learned our lesson

The CDC cancels MMWR study showing COVID reduces hospitalizations. Clearly Sec Kennedy’s “radical transparency” is just a slogan. Jay Bhattacharya sees method flaws but peer reviewers found the study rigorous. That’s political interference in science

Out now @elgarpublishing.bsky.social Advanced Intro to the R2H No human rights are as essential as health rights This book guides readers on all the essential elements of the R2H www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/adv...

Erica Schwartz is a credible CDC director. But she’ll need assurances against political interference & ongoing attacks on science The signs are not good. RFK may impose a leadership team & senior CDC officials are extreme MAHA advocates ACIP is destroyed & USPSTF is next.

ACIP's new charter seems innocuous but focuses on vaccine adverse events. Sec Kennedy's anti-vax advocacy has always implied that CDC hides vaccine injuries but vaccines are studied extensively & are safe & effective. Instead of promoting vaccines, RFK, Jr is sowing doubt

. RFKJr is hosting a podcast. He wants to be "Influencer in Chief." He can enter an evidence-free zone on vaccines, raw milk & red meat. It's unprecedented. He uses the HHS label to peddle false info. HHS used to be a safe harbor for reliable info. Not any more. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Now in @natureportfolio.nature.com Why quality health information for all is a fundamental determinant of health and equity From the Nature Medicine Commission on Quality Health Information for All www.nature.com/articles/s41...

SCOTUS rejects state ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors, ruling it regulates viewpoint speech But this isn't speech; it's state regulation of harmful therapies, as explained in @medpagetoday This undermines core state power to regulate medicine www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/the-...

This is America Isolated Negotiations on a pathogen access & benefitting sharing treaty annex are intense States, pharma & NGOs globally are advocating for robust scientific sharing & equity Here in the US, Silence The US is on the outside looking in, not even a member of @who.int

Judge rules HHS child vaccine schedule changes are stayed & new ACIP appointments likely violate FACA RFK Jr has ignored science & lawful process The ruling is a win for public health & science Vaccine policy under RFK Jr is purely political. He’ll certainly appeal

An Unwavering Belief in Science, Creativity, and Equity: The Legacy of Dr. William H. Foege www.milbank.org/quarterly/op...

Today @who.int renewed my appointment to the IHR Review Committee until 2030. What's interesting is that WHO copied the US State Department Geneva Mission. Even with US withdrawal, it is good to see an orderly process emanating from WHO HQ.

RFK Jr supports the president in invoking the DPA to spur production of glyphosate, a known carcinogen. It's striking how Kennedy is willing to jettison his core values to please Trump. In the process, he is betraying the MAHA movement that he was instrumental in creating. Shameful.

Invoking the Defense Production Act to spur the domestic production of glyphosate is a gross abuse of presidential authority. US agriculture is at not at risk. What is at risk is the nation's health. Glyphosate is a known carcinogen.

University of Lucerne BRAUN DISTINGUISHED LECTURE 2026 "A world built on justice & mutual obligations, based on shared democratic values is worth fighting for" "Another way to say all this is we must reject selfishness, indecency & dishonesty, and embrace compassion & love for one another"

Dr Bhattacharya is wholly unqualified to lead CDC. He has scant ph experience. At NIH, he's cut vital public health research. During COVID he castigated CDC scientists & has never stopped. I haven't seen one idea that actually seeks to build CDC capacities, only to tear them down.

For those still wondering if Trump & RFK's assault on global health & human rights is reversible, think again. In @thinkglobalhealth.org, I show how historic the break is with US traditions, values and the rule of law. Eleanor Roosevelt would be weeping www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/pres...

In @genevahealthfiles.bsky.social, we offer an explainer on US budget process & global health. Especially for advocates outside the US, it is an informative read: genevahealthfiles.substack.com/p/united-sta...

In Health Affairs Forefront, we explain why US withdrawal from @WHO is legally dubious. We simply stress that a world in which the US & WHO are adrift is harmful for US national interests & global security www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

In @thelancet.com, Peter Lurie & Alla Hill @cspinet.org and I examine the evidence for a nutritious diet. Sadly, the new Dietary Guidelines for America fail both on process (no transparency + COIs) and on substance (little science & evidence). www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Today in @TheLancet New dietary guidelines for Americans: a recipe for poorer health www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Out today in @Health_Affairs Forefront Without The US, The World Health Organization Cannot Fulfill Its Mission www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

President Trump's Mark on Global Health and Human Rights www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/pres... I wrote this because, even with all the cruelty & the harms to global health & human rights, I don't believe we fully appreciate how much Trump has destroyed US leadership & values since 1948

With new vaccine schedule secured, RFK Jr. allies head to statehouses www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/v... via @statnews.com States are absolutely the next major target of MAHA jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

The Supreme Court’s 2026 Term—Public Health in Jeopardy jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... Many of the problems with our health system & democracy itself is because of SCOTUS rulings that are tone deaf to values of public health, science, & equity. I explain this in @JAMAHealthForum today

What a hero Bill Foege was for the world For all the destruction of basic health functions this past year, Bill Foege's legacy, smallpox eradication, cannot be undone. I hope when the current darkness lifts, the CDC director has Bill’s vision and passion for health justice

Bill Foege was a dear friend & my public health hero. He called often outraged at Trump & RFK, Jr's attacks on science- leaving WHO, decimating USAID, undermining vaccines To Bill, it was deeply personal He fought for health & justice even as his eyes failed him & he became frail-- until the end

It's painful to see the US flag removed from @WHO Geneva HQ. On June 14, 1948 Truman signed a law requiring payment of dues before exiting. Since then, every president understood WHO's value. Until Now. Trump has unilaterally violated US & int'l law. healthpolicy-watch.news/stars-and-st...

SCOTUS & Culture Wars We know exactly how Justices will rule It isn't based on law, justice, or the Constitution ☑️ Can't Ban Conversion Therapy ☑️ Can Ban Gender Affirming Care ☑️ Can Ban Trans Athletes No legal consistency Only consistency is SCOTUS joining Culture Wars

Today in @statnews.com, Richard Hughes & I discuss RFK's destructive vaccine policies. There's a cavernous divide between pro- & anti-vaccine states Vaccine federalism means children’s health depends on geography. No one is safe as herd immunity wanes Red states are most at risk shorturl.at/8OI3x

Kudos to the House for passing a clean extension of ACA subsidies. If the Senate follows, it will dramatically lower insurance premiums & prevent 4 million Americans from losing health coverage. It will save lives, keep families from financial ruin, and keep rural hospitals open.

Bowing to the alcohol beverage industry, RFK, Jr weakens the message on the harms of drinking. The new food pyramid removes advice on safer limits on alcohol. Even the current guidelines (2 units daily for men & 1 for women) is inadequate. There is no safe limit on alcohol consumption.

RFK Jr releases a new food pyramid putting red meat, beef tallow, & full-fat dairy at the top. His handpicked "experts" worked in secret As with vaccines, Kennedy sets policy without transparency, science, and evidence We can expect more heart disease, diabetes, & cancer

In Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Sam Halabi and @gostin.bsky.social write on one of the unresolved core aspects of the WHO #PandemicAgreement: the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System. Read the article: https://ow.ly/AT6v50XMvWM

Amid the turmoil of anti-vax policy from RFK Jr some sanity prevails. The 2nd Circuit today upheld a ban on cuts to NIH research funding, ruling that unilaterally slashing NIH research overheads was unlawful. NIH funding saves lives & is the engine of our economy

As 2025 draws to an end, let's reflect back on a year global health was decimated, from the US withdrawal from @who.int & defunding of GAVI, to the elimination of USAID. PLoS Global Public Health "The Trump presidency: Cascading global shocks on global health" journals.plos.org/globalpublic...

As wonderful as PubMed is, it needs competition. Now it is getting it from Germany That’s a very good thing The whole world can’t lean on one country’s scientific library Science is a global enterprise See @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2025/12/26/p...

RFK, Jr's war on vaccines is spilling over to states States have legal power to set vaccine schedules Sates are ending school vaccine mandates & requiring broad religious exemptions SCOTUS is abetting this move In JAMA State Vaccine Law and Policy—A New Threat to Public Health shorturl.at/mUbZR

RFK's decision to cut funding for the Am Acad of Pediatrics is short sighted and harmful. It's pure vindictiveness for the principled stand of AAP on vaccines. Grants to AAP support studies on infant deaths, and childhood diseases like autism. This vindictive action is unconscionable.

Today in the Georgetown J. of Int'l Affairs, Sam Halabi @oneillinstitute & I explain the importance of CDR in the @WHO Pandemic Agreement PABS Annex The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS gjia.georgetown.edu/2025/12/11/t...

254 measles cases in SC are in quarantine, 16 of whom are in isolation. That's the impact of RFK, Jr.'s attack on vaccines, and it will only get worse. Most people in confinement were unvaccinated. It's an entirely preventable health crisis. Measles vaccines are 97% effective

Failure to pass ACA premium subsidies will unravel the insurance market. As premiums dramatically rise, the sickest will have little choice but to remain insured, while younger healthier people will opt out. Insurance will be still more unaffordable. The market is unsustainable

Prasad says FDA will state that "COVID-19 vaccines have killed American children," which he calls a "profound revelation." He directs FDA staff who disagree to resign. He offers no research data & doesn't submit it to peer review. Science is transparent, it is testable. This is not science

Ralph Abraham is an irresponsible pick as Deputy Director of CDC. As Louisiana Surgeon General, he cancelled vaccine campaigns. He's a major prescriber of ivermectin for COVID-19. Dr. Abraham is likely to further erode the credibility of the CDC. He's a loyalist, not a scientist

RFK Jr forces CDC to say “studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism”. It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of science. Science can not rule out infinite remote possibilities. But science has conclusively shown no link between vaccines and autism

In London for ⁦‪@FT‬⁩ ⁦‪@TheLancet‬⁩ Scientific Integrity Strategies. AI fueled misleading health information is a defining issue of our time. Strategies include health literacy & communication. Quality Health Information for All is worth fighting for.

America First bilateral global health pacts linking aid to pathogen sharing is feckless. Instead of a multilateral @WHO PABS annex we do deals with a few select countries. What makes Trump think the next pandemic will start in those countries? The US is safer inside WHO & PABS

The @oneillinstitute is hosting a special event on the revolutionary PrEp twice-yearly injectable Lenacapavir, featuring a keynote by Moupali Das Registration Link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Nov 12, 2025 120 F St NW, Washington, DC 20001, Gewirz 12th Floor 1:20 – 3:20 p.m. ET