HHS Faces Backlash Over Appointment of Discredited Researcher for Vaccine Study

David Geier, with a history of debunked vaccine-autism research and disciplinary actions, has been hired to lead a controversial study as a severe measles outbreak unfolds in Texas and nearby states.

The Department of Health and Human Services has reportedly hired David Geier, a controversial figure with no medical degree and a history of discredited vaccine research, to lead a study on vaccine safety.
Geier and his father have previously published flawed and retracted studies alleging a link between vaccines and autism, despite decades of scientific evidence disproving the theory.
Public health experts, including pediatrician Paul Offit, have criticized the decision, warning it undermines scientific integrity and public trust in vaccines.
The study, initially planned by the CDC, was reassigned to the NIH under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long promoted anti-vaccine rhetoric.
The hiring coincides with a growing measles outbreak in Texas and neighboring states, with 377 reported cases and two deaths, largely among unvaccinated children.