Alarm Raised as CDC Hires Former Head of Group Founded by RFK Jr.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly hiring Lyn Redwood, a nurse and former leader of the group now known as Children’s Health Defense, into its vaccine safety office. This move is drawing significant criticism from public health experts and medical groups due to Children’s Health Defense’s history and Redwood’s association with the organization, which critics widely denounce as a leading source of vaccine misinformation.
The hiring is particularly notable given that Children’s Health Defense was founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who now oversees the CDC as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the second Trump administration. Multiple CDC officials confirmed the planned hiring to CBS News.
Children’s Health Defense has been active in challenging vaccine requirements, including filing lawsuits and petitioning federal agencies to revoke vaccine authorizations. Kennedy was listed as the group’s founder and chairman before assuming his role as the nation’s top health official.
Redwood is expected to join the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office as a special government employee, a status typically given to temporary advisers or experts brought in for specific projects. This office is responsible for key aspects of the agency’s vaccine safety work, including managing databases used to collect and analyze reports from the public and healthcare systems regarding potential vaccine risks.
Neither the CDC nor Redwood responded to requests for comment.
Controversial Views on Vaccine Ingredients
Adding to the controversy, Redwood is scheduled to present her concerns about vaccine ingredients to the agency’s new roster of outside vaccine advisers, a group recently appointed by Secretary Kennedy himself.
A central focus of Redwood’s concerns is the vaccine preservative thimerosal, which she links to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Prepared slides released ahead of the meeting include her statement, “Removing a known neurotoxin from being injected into our most vulnerable populations is a good place to start with Making America Healthy Again.”
However, numerous independent studies conducted over decades in various countries have extensively debunked the link between thimerosal and autism. The CDC and other external groups have consistently cited this breadth of evidence. A CDC report briefly published online before the planned meeting specifically stated that the evidence does not support an association between thimerosal-containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders, noting significant methodological issues in studies suggesting otherwise.
Children’s Health Defense has a history of challenging the CDC’s stance on thimerosal, accusing the agency’s safety office in 2018 of trying to mislead the public. Secretary Kennedy has also echoed concerns about thimerosal on social media.
Beyond thimerosal, Redwood has also raised alarms about aluminum in vaccines, claiming it has been found in the brains of children with autism at high levels. The FDA, however, maintains that aluminum used in some vaccines has a demonstrated safety profile over many decades, and that human exposure to aluminum is more common through food and water consumption.
Broader Concerns Over RFK Jr.’s Influence
The hiring of Redwood is viewed by many as part of a concerning pattern under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership at HHS. Experts worry he is systematically undermining the scientific integrity of public health agencies and vaccine policy.
Recently, Secretary Kennedy controversially dismissed the previous 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the independent panel whose recommendations historically guide state vaccination policies, including school mandates, and influence insurance coverage. Kennedy claimed the committee suffered from pervasive conflicts of interest, citing a 2009 government report.
However, an NPR review and interviews with former members indicate Kennedy’s characterization is misleading. The 2009 report he cited referred primarily to administrative errors or omissions on ethics paperwork filed by members across all CDC advisory committees, not actual conflicts preventing voting on ACIP matters. Former committee members emphasize that ACIP has long-standing, strict conflict-of-interest rules and rigorous enforcement. Experts, including former CDC Director Tom Frieden, have called Kennedy’s claims about ACIP conflicts “classic misinformation,” stating they conflate paperwork issues with actual ethical breaches.
Public health experts like Dr. Paul Offit, a former ACIP member and renowned vaccine expert, express deep concern that Kennedy intends to appoint individuals who share his skeptical views on vaccines, potentially leading to weaker recommendations or hindering vaccine development. Offit warned that this could prompt trusted public health groups to issue their own guidance, potentially leading to confusion and decreased vaccine uptake, risking the resurgence of preventable diseases like measles and polio.
Critics argue that bringing a figure with a history of promoting vaccine safety concerns into the CDC’s own safety office, alongside other changes like the dismissal of the ACIP panel, could further erode public trust in vaccine science and the institutions responsible for protecting public health.
This hiring intensifies concerns among medical and public health communities about the direction of federal health agencies under Secretary Kennedy and the potential impact on critical vaccine infrastructure and policy.
