On June 24, 2025, the Annals of Internal Medicine posted an opinion post authored by Jason M. Goldman, MD and Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD:
In 1964, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services established the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) as a trusted, transparent, and evidence-based public body charged with making vaccine recommendations. Operating under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ACIP has played a vital role in ensuring the safety, effectiveness, and appropriate use of vaccines. Its recommendations influence public health policy, clinical practice, insurance coverage, and ultimately the lives of millions of Americans (1). Until recently, the ACIP was not merely a bureaucratic body—it was a cornerstone of national health policy. It deserves our protection and our voice.
The ACIP has been a model of rigorous scientific and democratic public health decision making. It was designed to engender public confidence in vaccines through open deliberation, multidisciplinary expertise, and thorough vetting of conflicts of interest. For clinicians and the public, it has served as a reliable source of information and guidance.
However, a troubling shift has emerged—one that threatens to undermine ACIP’s structure. The increasing politically motivated changes to its membership raise serious concerns about the integrity of its recommendations. These developments endanger public trust in vaccines, the authority of medical science, patient safety, and the health of the public (2–4).
There have always been vaccine skeptics, but mistrust has reached new levels in the post–COVID-19 landscape (5). This distrust makes ACIP’s role more essential than ever. The committee has historically functioned through the diligent work of subject matter experts who are rigorously vetted for conflicts of interest. Their appointments follow a transparent process, and any existing conflicts are publicly disclosed. Members with conflicts are recused from voting on relevant matters to preserve impartiality and public confidence.
Read the full article here: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-02806