Scientists React to RFK, Jr.’s Confirmation as HHS Secretary

image via New Scientist

February 13, 2025, 9:00 PM

• •Scientists are bracing for major changes in the direction of US biomedical research as Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has promoted vaccine misinformation and public-health conspiracies, gains control over a vast swathe of science policy.
• •Kennedy has embraced some fields of biomedical research. But he has shown hostility to others, and has rejected established science on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, the safety of vaccines in general and other topics.
• •Kennedy has repeatedly called for further studies into diet and nutrition, as well as research on the links between environmental pollution and human health.

Scientists are bracing for major changes in the direction of US biomedical research as Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has promoted vaccine misinformation and public-health conspiracies, gains control over a vast swathe of science policy. Kennedy has embraced some fields of biomedical research. But he has shown hostility to others, and has rejected established science on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, the safety of vaccines in general and other topics. Kennedy has repeatedly called for further studies into diet and nutrition, as well as research on the links between environmental pollution and human health. Regardless of Kennedy’s priorities, it seems clear that the total funding available for biomedical research will be less than it has been in previous years.

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