Sept 15, 2025: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced five new appointments to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP): Catherine M. Stein, PhD; Evelyn Griffin, MD; Hilary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA; Kirk Milhoan, MD, PhD; and Raymond Pollak, MD, FACS, FRCS. The additions arrive days before ACIP’s Sept 18–19 meeting in Atlanta and follow HHS actions in June to reconstitute the panel. Agency statements emphasized transparency, independence, and evidence-based decision-making. News coverage has also noted debate over the committee’s direction and composition.1
What ACIP will consider this week:2
- Thursday, Sept 18: MMRV background and febrile seizure data, Hepatitis B birth-dose and safety updates, agency updates, and votes on MMRV, MMRV VFC, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis B VFC
- Friday, Sept 19: COVID-19 epidemiology, effectiveness, safety monitoring, implementation considerations for 2024–25, economic analysis, manufacturer updates, discussion framing, and a vote on COVID-19 vaccines
Who was appointed on Sept 15:1
What You Need To Know
Five appointees were named on Sept 15, bringing expertise across epidemiology, obstetrics and gynecology, pharmacy access, pediatric cardiology, and transplant immunobiology.
This week’s agenda includes Thursday votes on MMRV and Hepatitis B, including Vaccines for Children items, and a Friday COVID-19 session with an effectiveness, safety, implementation, and economics review followed by a vote.
In June 2025 HHS removed 17 ACIP members and named new appointees, prompting professional groups to call for oversight and continued adherence to evidence-based processes.
- Catherine M Stein, PhD: Professor of population and quantitative health at Case Western Reserve University; epidemiologist with more than two decades of tuberculosis and infectious disease research and extensive collaborations in genetics, biostatistics, and immunology.
- Evelyn Griffin, MD: Obstetrician-gynecologist at Baton Rouge General; board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, lifestyle medicine, and functional medicine; among early adopters of robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery and a leader in maternal morbidity and mortality reduction.
- Hilary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA: Director of Medication Access and Affordability at AscensionRx; former Chief Pharmacy Officer at the Dispensary of Hope; active in professional pharmacy leadership, host of the Talk to Your Pharmacist podcast, and author of How Pharmacists Lead.
- Kirk Milhoan, MD, PhD: Pediatric cardiologist and medical director of For Hearts and Souls Free Medical Clinic; former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon; co-founder of an international mission group coordinating pediatric cardiac care; doctorate in mechanisms of myocardial inflammation.
- Raymond Pollak, MD, FACS, FRCS: Surgeon and transplant immunobiologist with more than 120 peer-reviewed publications; former Chief of Liver Transplantation and Director of Multiorgan Transplant Programs at the University of Illinois; leadership roles with UNOS and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.
On June 9, HHS removed 17 sitting ACIP members and announced eight replacements on June 11 to 12. Named among the new appointees were Martin Kulldorff, PhD; Retsef Levi, PhD; Robert Malone, MD; Cody Meissner, MD; and Vicky Pebsworth, PhD, RN, along with other members added to fill the roster. Major medical organizations raised concerns about process and continuity, and the American Medical Association adopted an emergency resolution urging oversight and a return to established, evidence-based practices. The reconstituted panel was scheduled to convene at the late June ACIP meeting and continue work through the fall agenda.
References
2.CDC. MEETING OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES (ACIP). chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.cdc.gov/acip/downloads/agendas/draft-posted-2025-09-12-508.pdf
3.Eaton ES. RFK Jr.'s new ACIP appointees include several with ties to vaccine misinformation. September 16, 2025. Accessed June 12, 2025. https://firstwordpharma.com/story/5972247
