By Julie Steenhuysen and Ahmed Aboulenein
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has chosen seven new members for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's panel of vaccine experts, an internal CDC document showed on Wednesday.
The Department of Health and Human Services has directed the CDC to name the new members to its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, according to the document, which was seen by Reuters.
Inside Medicine, a Substack blog, reported on
the new ACIP members earlier on Wednesday.
Kennedy fired all 17 members of the panel in June and replaced them with eight hand-picked advisers, though one has since left the panel.
Among the seven appointees is Dr. Raymond Pollak, a semi-retired transplant surgeon with a background in immunology who confirmed he has been asked to serve on the panel.
"I'm being considered pending the vetting process. If I was offered the position, I would think carefully about it," he said.
Others include Dr. Joseph Fraiman, an emergency medicine specialist in New Orleans; Dr. John Gaitanis, a pediatric neurologist; Dr. Catherine Stein, an epidemiology professor; Hillary Blackburn, a trained pharmacist; and Evelyn Griffin, an obstetrician-gynecologist. None could be reached for comment.
Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist, referred calls to the Department of Health and Human Services.
An HHS spokesperson declined to comment, adding, "You will hear from us when we are ready to announce."
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago and Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler and Nia Williams)
