The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have announced the appointment of five new members to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a federal advisory committee that makes recommendations to the CDC Director and the HHS Secretary on the use of vaccines for the control of vaccine-preventable diseases in the US civilian population. The CDC sets the US adult and childhood immunization schedules based on recommendations from the ACIP. 

The ACIP typically consists of 15 experts who are voting members and are responsible for making vaccine recommendations. The HHS Secretary selects these members after an application and nomination process. Fourteen of these members have expertise in vaccinology, immunology, pediatrics, internal medicine, nursing, family medicine, virology, public health, infectious diseases, or preventive medicine. One member is a consumer representative who provides perspectives on the social and community aspects of vaccination. 

In June (June 2025), HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. removed the 17 sitting members of the ACIP and replaced them with eight new members. This week’s announcement (as reported on September 15, 2025) appoints five new members. The newly appointed members are: 

• Catherine M. Stein, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Population & Quantitative Health, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Stein is an epidemiologist with more than two decades of research experience on tuberculosis and infectious diseases and 115 peer-reviewed publications. She has collaborated in genetics, biostatistics, and immunology and has trained numerous doctoral students at Case Western Reserve. 

• Evelyn Griffin, M.D., Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Baton Rouge General Hospital, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Griffin is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, lifestyle medicine, and functional medicine. With 15 years of clinical practice, she was among the first robotic-assisted gynecologic surgeons in the US and has led efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. 

• Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, M.B.A., Director of Medication Access and Affordability, AscensionRx, St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Blackburn leads initiatives to optimize medication access for underserved populations and improve affordability in value-based care. She previously served as Chief Pharmacy Officer at the Dispensary of Hope, overseeing formulary and research strategy. She is also a leader in professional pharmacy organizations, host of the Talk to Your Pharmacist podcast, and author of How Pharmacists Lead. 

• Kirk Milhoan, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director, For Hearts and Souls Free Medical Clinic, Kihei, Hawaii. Dr. Milhoan is a pediatric cardiologist and former US Air Force flight surgeon, with two combat tours in Iraq. He co-founded For Hearts and Souls, an international mission organization for children with congenital heart disease, and has coordinated pediatric cardiac care in more than a dozen countries. He holds a Ph.D. in the mechanisms of myocardial inflammation. 

• Raymond Pollak, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.S. Dr. Pollak is a surgeon, transplant immunobiologist, and transplant specialist, who has published more than 120 peer-reviewed works and served as principal investigator on National Institutes of Health transplant biology grants and numerous drug trials. He previously served as Chief of Liver Transplantation and Director of Multiorgan Transplant Programs at the University of Illinois and has held leadership roles with the United Network for Organ Sharing and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. 

The ACIP was meeting this week (September 18 and 19, 2025) to discuss childhood vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and vraricella (i.e., chickenpox), collectively known as the MMRV vaccine, and vaccines for hepatitis B and COVID-19.  

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services