June 13, 2025
A statement by the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
SAHM is deeply alarmed by the abrupt removal of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP’s independent, evidence-based process has long provided the scientific foundation for vaccine recommendations that protect the health of adolescents, young adults, and the broader community. The appointment of all new members at one time is a significant disruption to the work and continuity of the committee’s scientific evaluation. Additionally, some of the new members do not have the traditional infectious disease or vaccinology expertise expected of ACIP voting members, and several have previously expressed positions inconsistent with established vaccine science.
This unprecedented action undermines public confidence, introduces confusion at a time of rising vaccine hesitancy and outbreaks of preventable disease, and risks eroding trust in lifesaving immunizations. Adolescents and young adults—already vulnerable to gaps in care and disparities in vaccine access—depend on policies shaped by transparent, expert, and scientific evidence-based review.
SAHM urges the administration to restore the independent, science-driven ACIP process and to ensure that voting members collectively possess demonstrated expertise in infectious diseases, vaccinology, immunology, public health, research, and primary care. This breadth of expertise and experience is essential so that the committee can evaluate the science in an unbiased, evidence-based manner, free from misinformation. Safeguarding the integrity of ACIP is critical to protect the health of all, especially our nation’s adolescents and young adults.