RFK Jr. is moving to remake a little-known vaccine panel. It could have big consequences Kennedy has indicated that he wants to revamp the system that compensates people who are injured by vaccines

https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/20/kennedy-fires-vaccine-injury-compensation-advisers-vicp-accv/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--pmt412e9WWJTsOUkKL9bum2t1m4PmOJLl1gMuHtXZzwDVAQi36EXY_tol5yBn7x7FxdJNMx6N7apkeWHe8G39-JEAUg&_hsmi=399358208&utm_content=399358208&utm_source=hs_email By Chelsea CirruzzoJan. 20, 2026 Washington Correspondent health The latest in vaccine news We’ve got something for everyone today when it comes to vaccines. Let’s start with the newsiest bit: https://www.statnews.com/2025/06/09/rfk-jr-fires-every-member-of-cdc-vaccine-expert-panel-acip/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_P70BvsHZHMGsajzDb7C_O0913hoWOPdiTBY9bkUyD3JZl1vv2jVOSlGOcA4R7_I7ngaJ8qQs9SjvqgRN732MdpSNVjg&_hsmi=399358208&utm_content=399358208&utm_source=hs_email Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears to be reshaping another little known piece of federal vaccine infrastructure. He’s removed at least four of the nine members of a panel that advises on a program to compensate people who are injured by vaccines. The abrupt firings mirror actions Kennedy took last year to remake the main federal vaccine advisory panel; stacking this commission with allies could help if he wants to add autism to the list of covered injuries. Read more from STAT’s Chelsea Cirruzzo on what the panel does and what could come next. https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/20/shared-decision-making-vaccine-guidance-twists-meaning-of-term/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_6U_4ra-q1kp9mAq8A-p4Q677U2zaAjuJsn3gZcrkz2xUqMvooGoskzTwr0CrXxxeBTr4C24Slcd9LCVDH3-Ma0jQTVQ&_hsmi=399358208&utm_content=399358208&utm_source=hs_email And for the essay-inclined: As federal health officials upend long-standing federal vaccine recommendations, you may notice that they’re talking a lot about “shared decision-making.” But what does it really mean? Experts are concerned that the Trump administration is hijacking the term to sow doubt about vaccines. STAT’s Eric Boodman traces the evolution of the term and its uses. Some say it goes back to a 1972 essay about medicine and ethical values. Read more on how we got here. Ben Lopman is an infectious disease epidemiologist who has spent decades studying diarrheal diseases and the viruses that cause them, including rotavirus. And it’s not just professional for him, it’s personal. Lopman’s son was born in 2007, after the rotavirus vaccine was recommended in the U.S. but before it was brought to England, where he lived at the time. Read his First Opinion essay about his family’s experience, and why he believes ending universal rotavirus vaccination is a tragedy. https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/17/rotavirus-vaccine-removed-what-it-means-kids/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8BvqiU3EgIwd90QCnTVOIvruh5hlp8KUOia0uUFblDQtAfojjK77k59fTl7WQF_WHbheui_ZZLt3XEziI6fgkZBccOWw&_hsmi=399358208&utm_content=399358208&utm_source=hs_email