It’s been nearly 4 months since RFK Jr. was confirmed as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and the consequences are accumulating. Two children have died from a vaccine preventable disease, research budgets have been gutted, the CDC and their independent group of expert advisors have been completely bypassed on vaccine policy changes, and perhaps most dangerously, trust in public health institutions is being systemically dismantled by an administration that promotes conspiracy theories over evidence.

One of the most alarming examples of this departure from evidence is the Make America Health Again commission report that was recently released and promoted as “gold standard science.” But in reality, it was riddled with falsehoods and hallucinated AI citations–—meaning the report was not the product of genuine scientific inquiry, but a manufactured document built to justify a conclusion its authors had already settled on, likely using AI to fabricate support for their claims. Real “gold standard science” starts with a hypothesis and follows the evidence. This started with a belief and manufactured support for it (including 7 citations that don’t even exist), which is the definition of pseudoscience. Under RFK Jr’s HHS, this document is being used as the basis for public health policy in the United States. And when pseudoscience drives policy, people get hurt.

We can expect to see more of RFK Jr’s confirmation bias pushed out through sham science with David Geier’s promised report linking vaccines to autism due this September. Again, this is not how you perform “gold standard science.” This is state-sanctioned propaganda.

The nation’s top public health agency is being destroyed by a political farce guised as an altruistic goal to “Make America Health Again.” As Dr. Peter Marks, the former vaccine regulator at the FDA, wrote in his resignation letter, “It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.”

We are compelled to speak out against unethical practices in our field. We condemn his thoughtless leadership, his broken promises, deliberate disinformation, and attempts to rewrite history with regard to decades of vaccine and nutrition science.

With RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary more people will get sick, and more will die.

In April, the Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, Dr. Georges C. Benjamin issued a statement inviting his colleagues to speak up and call for RFK Jr’s immediate resignation or termination. So, in solidarity with many of our public health colleagues, including Dr. Morgan McSweeny who inspired this post, we are calling for the immediate resignation of RFK Jr. and invite you to join us by following these two steps:

Step One:

Download the 5 Calls app to find contact information for both your Representative and Senators.

Or, you can call the Capitol Switchboard directly at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your members of Congress.

Step Two:

Select the option to contact them and use the script template below for your message:

Dear [Representative/Senator Name],

I urge you to publicly call for RFK Jr.’s resignation as Secretary of Health and Human Services. His repeated spread of misinformation and use of fabricated evidence undermine public trust and the mission of our health agencies.

We need leadership grounded in facts, science, and accountability. Kennedy has shown he is unfit to lead. Please act now to restore integrity in public health.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City, State, Zip]

At the end of the day, public health is about community. Right now, the people in charge of public health policy are making decisions that will–without exaggeration– destroy our communities. We call on all of you to use your voices to protect the health and well being of everyone in this country.

We deserve better than RFK Jr. Please share this message widely.

Thank you,

Jessica Knurick, PhD, RDN and Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS

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