U.S. Vaccine Advisory Panel Names New Chair as Kulldorff Moves to HHS; Hepatitis B Newborn Dose and Pediatric Schedule on the Agenda

Martin Kulldorff is leaving his role as chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to accept a new position inside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), federal officials said Monday. Dr. Kirk Milhoan, who was appointed to ACIP in September, will take over as chair.

The committee is scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday in Atlanta. Key agenda items include a review of the pediatric immunization schedule and consideration of the timing of the hepatitis B vaccine dose given to newborns.

Who is moving and why it matters

HHS said Kulldorff will become chief science officer in the department’s Planning and Evaluation office, described by officials as HHS’s internal policy and analysis unit. In the department’s announcement, Kulldorff said,

"I look forward to contributing to the science-based public health policies that will Make America Healthy Again."

Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who co-runs a medical missionary organization, has publicly suggested a link between vaccines and cardiovascular problems in older teenagers and young adults. That view is at odds with mainstream public health and pediatric organizations, which say current evidence does not support such a causal link.

Recent shifts at ACIP

The personnel change follows a broader overhaul of ACIP implemented earlier this year by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who replaced the previous 17-member committee with a new panel that includes several members who have expressed skepticism about vaccines. Kulldorff, a Sweden-born biostatistician and co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, served as chair during a period in which the committee moved away from its traditional multi-month "evidence-to-recommendation" framework.

Under Kulldorff’s leadership, ACIP took several controversial actions that prompted criticism from major medical societies and public health experts. Examples include a June recommendation to remove the preservative thimerosal from certain flu vaccine formulations despite members acknowledging limited evidence of harm, and a September move to impose new restrictions on a combined measles-mumps-rubella-chickenpox (MMRV) vaccine. The committee also did not issue a broad recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination, including for some high-risk groups, instead leaving the decision up to individuals and clinicians.

Hepatitis B infant dose: current guidance and debate

ACIP’s current recommendation calls for a first dose of hepatitis B vaccine to be administered to medically stable newborns weighing at least 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) within 24 hours of birth. Studies indicate the infant hepatitis B vaccine series prevents about 85%–95% of chronic infections when given correctly; public health experts say the program has dramatically reduced infant infections and that recent peer-reviewed evidence does not indicate a safety problem with giving the first dose on the day of birth.

In September, some ACIP members discussed whether to recommend delaying the initial newborn dose — an option that clinicians and parents can already elect to do. After criticism from independent pediatric and infectious disease specialists, the panel did not move forward with a vote at that time. This week’s meeting may again consider whether to alter the recommendation, but HHS has not provided detailed public information on the precise motion expected.

Reactions and implications

Several professional medical groups and 15 state governors have submitted public comments raising concern that recent ACIP actions are not sufficiently evidence-based and may erode public confidence in vaccination programs. Because ACIP guidance typically informs CDC policy and clinical practice, any changes could have broad implications for immunization delivery and public health messaging.

Kulldorff’s departure reduces the committee’s active membership to 11. HHS did not provide additional public comment about the personnel change, and Kulldorff did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.