A key member of the newly restructured U.S. vaccine advisory panel has stepped down just days before the group’s first official meeting, reducing the number of members from eight to seven, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Earlier in June, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed eight individuals to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The move followed his controversial dismissal of all 17 members of the previous independent panel, several of whom were recognized vaccine experts. Some of Kennedy’s new appointees have publicly expressed skepticism toward vaccines.
“Dr. Michael Ross decided to withdraw from ACIP during the financial holdings review required of members before they can start work on the committee,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement, adding that “the committee would have benefited from his service and expertise.”
The New York Times was the first to report Dr. Ross’s departure. As of Tuesday night, his name no longer appeared on the CDC’s official list of voting members for the panel.
The committee is scheduled to convene on June 25 and 26, according to CDC documents. Its responsibilities include advising the CDC on vaccine usage following approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
According to a draft agenda posted on the CDC’s website last week, the upcoming meeting will include a vote on the safety of influenza vaccines and discussions on proposed recommendations for administering the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine to children under five years old.
Additionally, a presentation on thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative historically used in some vaccines, will be delivered on Thursday by Lyn Redwood, a former leader of the anti-vaccine organization Children’s Health Defense.
