We are devastated STAT over the loss of our beloved colleague @HelenBranswell statnews.com/2026/10/13/hele…

My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business.   I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people.  This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles. I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.  The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.   The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership.  This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors.  Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC.  The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense.  Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function.  Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC. The recent term of reference for the COVID vaccine work group created by this ACIP puts people of dubious intent and more dubious scientific rigor in charge of recommending vaccine policy to a director hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader.   Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.  Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again.  I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season.  Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.”  We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary.  I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us.  Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources.  At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him.  To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer.  I believe in nutrition and exercise.  I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability.  Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun. The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning.  My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so.  I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud.   I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur.  I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics.  I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution.  If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States. Sincerely, Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him)

BREAKING: Layoffs have "started in earnest at CDC," an agency officer tells me. Jono Mermin, the head of  National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, is being reassigned to a different position. They are laying off full branches, "that way they can avoid having to allow people to move around and find new jobs," the source tells me. HIV branches eliminated include Behavioral and Clinical Surveillance, HIV Research, HIV Prevention Capacity Development, Prevention Communications, Quant Sciences, and various efforts CDC has undertaken to combat HIV abroad. Attached are two internal CDC emails about reductions in force, or RIF.

I’m not going to be able to tell you about the consequences of EVERY lost grant, but I’m going to try. Let’s start with the Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) program for pathogens of pandemic concern! It just got unceremonially shitcanned.

An article published as part of APA's 2025 Trends Report discusses psychedelics research, including an MGH study of psilocybin in TRD that saw the team screen 700 patients without a single one meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria. apa.org/monitor/2025/01/tren…

@SamLeeming Halo! here is your unroll: threadreaderapp.com/thread/1… Share this if you think it's interesting. 🤖

The top problem with FDA is the agency’s reckless disregard for the impact of its daily decisions on the cost of new innovation. FDA’s day-to-day decisions include not just the final drug approval decisions that grab headlines, but their micromanagement of every single step of the clinical & even preclinical drug development process. This increases overall healthcare costs by raising the cost barriers to competition, which in turn advantages big pharma over smaller biotechs that face a higher cost of capital to fund their projects. That’s the *real* FDA issue we need to be talking much more about, even if it takes some level of nuance to understand.

Based on the available scientific evidence, there are several inaccuracies and misleading claims in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s statements about the DTP vaccine: 1. The DTP vaccine has not been banned in the US. It was replaced by the DTaP vaccine in the 1990s, which has a lower risk of side effects. The DTP vaccine is still used in many countries. 2. The claim that DTP caused severe brain injuries or death in 1 in 300 children is not supported by scientific evidence. Serious adverse events from DTP were much rarer. 3. The DTP vaccine is still used in Europe and many other countries, not just Africa. 4. The Danish study he refers to likely means a 2017 study by Mogensen et al. This study had significant methodological limitations and its findings have not been replicated in larger, more robust studies. 5. Multiple large studies, including those cited in the search results, have not found a 10-fold increase in mortality among girls receiving DTP. Some studies found no increased risk, while others found more modest increases that require further investigation. 6. There is no evidence that DTP ruins children's immune systems or makes them more susceptible to other diseases. In fact, vaccines generally strengthen immunity. 7. Long-term vaccine safety studies are routinely conducted in the US and other countries. While some observational studies have raised questions about potential non-specific effects of DTP, especially in girls, the evidence is mixed and inconclusive. The majority of evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of DTP in preventing serious diseases. The World Health Organization continues to recommend DTP vaccination based on its proven benefits outweighing potential risks. More research is needed to fully understand any non-specific effects, but current evidence does not support Kennedy's alarming claims. Citations: [1] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54… [2] academic.oup.com/cid/article… [3] academic.oup.com/ije/article… [4] cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/vacci… [5] health-infobase.canada.ca/co… [6] cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtm… [7] nature.com/articles/d42859-0… [8] academic.oup.com/ije/article… [9] adc.bmj.com/content/97/8/685 [10] pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article… [11] pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article… [12] pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article…