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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced that Martin Kulldorff, Ph.D., a nationally recognized epidemiologist, biostatistician and former Harvard Medical School professor, has been appointed chief science officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).
Kulldorff, who recently chaired the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), is widely known for co-authoring the Great Barrington Declaration — a controversial but influential critique of lockdown policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and a career spanning vaccine safety surveillance, infectious disease modeling and statistical methods, his arrival signals a strategic reorientation at HHS toward transparency, evidence evaluation and critical review of pandemic-era policies.
ASPE operates as HHS’s central analytic and policy engine, responsible for economic modeling, program evaluation, interagency coordination and the development of department-wide research standards. The office plays an increasingly prominent role in the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” reforms.
Kennedy praises Kulldorff’s leadership on vaccine policy
“Martin Kulldorff transformed ACIP from a rubber stamp into a committee that delivers gold-standard science for the American people,” said Kennedy. “I’m glad to welcome him to my team to help develop bold, evidence-based policies to Make America Healthy Again.”
Kulldorff’s term at ACIP was marked by expanded post-marketing vaccine safety analytics, increased disclosure requirements, and stricter methodological review standards.
Supporters have credited him with restoring scientific independence to the committee; critics argue he injected skepticism into long-standing agency vaccine assumptions.
Great Barrington influence now embedded in federal health leadership
“Five years ago, Martin Kulldorff and I co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration calling for an end to pandemic lockdowns,” said National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D. “That evidence-based approach to public health now permeates HHS.”
The elevation of two Great Barrington Declaration authors — Bhattacharya and Kulldorff — to senior HHS roles marks an unprecedented moment in U.S. federal public health policy.
Their framework emphasizes focused protection of high-risk groups, minimizing collateral harms of non-pharmaceutical interventions and rebuilding public trust through transparent science.
Kulldorff highlights commitment to evidence-based reform
“It’s an honor to join the team of distinguished scientists that Secretary Kennedy has assembled,” Kulldorff said. “I look forward to contributing to the science-based public health policies that will Make America Healthy Again.”
Deep background in safety surveillance
Before his leadership at ACIP, Kulldorff played a central role in developing the statistical and epidemiological foundations for the nation’s vaccine and drug safety monitoring systems, including:
- CDC Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) methodologies.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Sentinel System signal detection algorithms.
- Service on the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee.
- Membership on the ACIP COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical Work Group.
His methodologies remain foundational tools for post-market surveillance.
New ACIP leadership team announced
The department also confirmed that:
- Kirk Milhoan, M.D., Ph.D., pediatric cardiologist and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, will chair ACIP.
- Robert Malone, M.D., clinical researcher and vaccine technologist, will serve as ACIP vice chair.
This leadership composition represents a significant departure from the committee’s pre-2024 structure and underscores HHS’s stated commitment to “independent scientific review divorced from regulatory capture.”
Originally published by TrialSite News.
