Jason L. Schwartz

More “reining in of HHS”, as has been reported? Interesting…

Biss’ “On Immunity” — my spring break ‘gift’ for my undergrads in my social history of vaccination course. A decade old now, but still holds up as a really thoughtful reflection on vaccine hesitancy as experienced by parents just trying to navigate this topic amid so much noise and anxiety.

Confirmed www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Lack of federal support means vaccine makers are investing less in R&D Under the Trump administration, the government has rescinded research funding, changed vaccine recommendations, and refused to review Moderna’s new mRNA flu vaccine. That could set vaccine research an...

Spoke with @marketplace.org today about the very uncertain future of vaccine R&D. www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...

I expect next week’s ACIP meeting to be canceled/rescheduled soon. FACA requires a notice in the Federal Register at least 15 days out (barring an emergency), which didn’t happen. And the public comment/docket process—typically set up weeks ahead—still points to last December’s meeting.

Provided a few thoughts for this look at the RFK-led HHS at the 1-year mark.

www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/h...

Trying to imagine my reaction if someone had told me 18 months ago that this would be a slide I’d be showing in class today.

Appears I was a bit more fired up than usual in my analysis here.

Issue is not w/ “shared decision-making” in its common usage in medicine—a very good thing!—but rather its specialized meaning in the context of types of vaccine guidance. A shrug rather than an endorsement. That would be clearer if it still went by one of its older names: “permissive use statement”

Our Vaccine System Is Delicate. Trump Just Threw a Bowling Ball at It. RFK Jr.’s changes to the childhood vaccination schedule threaten the complicated and expensive process through which doctors stock vaccine doses.

I know there's a lot going on in the world to track. Learning about the intricacies of our vaccine supply line shouldn't be one of them - yet here we are. New @newrepublic.com piece: newrepublic.com/article/2053...

Lawsuit contests RFK Jr.’s new vaccine guidance for children Several public health organizations accused the health secretary of packing a key advisory committee with vaccine skeptics, arguing its latest guidance should be voided.

Respect the plaintiffs for standing up for process/principle, but _best-case_ outcome here would be HHS being required to temporarily repost old recs that they’d vehemently disavow, while continuing to undermine vaccination in 100 other ways. No silver bullet. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...

If you haven’t already, at some point may want to connect with @mattmotta.bsky.social and @thcallaghan.bsky.social, who lead a great research program at BU looking at state vaccine legislation

Happy to! Just DM me an email address where I can send it.

First day of class! Too bad there’s not much to talk about this semester.

Schwartz, Zink to serve on vaccine integrity advisory board Dr. Jason L. Schwartz, PhD, and Dr. Anne Zink, MD, have been appointed to the Board of Advisers of the Vaccine Integrity Project, a new initiative launched by

Congratulations to YSPH's @jasonlschwartz.bsky.social & @annezinkmd.bsky.social, who have been appointed to the Board of Advisers of the Vaccine Integrity Project, a new initiative launched by the University of Minnesota that provides trusted, science-based information on vaccines.

Just when I finally got a subscription to the Pink Sheet so I could read all your work! Congrats! Happy for you. A great group you are joining.

When it comes to vaccine schedules, the U.S. is now the outlier A STAT analysis of vaccine recommendations in 38 countries suggests the U.S. is now an outlier.

Important reporting from @HelenBranswell and @jaspar: The US is now a global outlier when it comes to vaccine schedules, recommending fewer vaccines than most of its peers. www.statnews.com/2026/01/09/c...

I’ve been a fan of the Vaccine Integrity Project since its launch last year. Glad to be part of its new Board of Advisers announced today and contribute to its important work going forward.

vaxintegrity.cidrap.umn.edu/about-us/boa...

What parents should know about the new childhood immunization schedule The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new childhood immunization schedule represents one of the most dramatic changes in childhood disease

“The concern is this is going to create widespread confusion about when those ‘special-category’ vaccines should be used, which will doubtlessly mean fewer kids will get those vaccines and more kids will get those diseases.” - @jasonlschwartz.bsky.social

What parents should know ⬇️

5/5

Joined @kcbsradio.bsky.social in SF this morning for a long conversation discussing the new vaccine recommendations from HHS/CDC www.audacy.com/podcast/kcbs...

That change from 2 doses to 1 dose of HPV is noted deep in the 33-page ‘scientific assessment’ by Hoeg and Kuldorff that accompanies the HHS release. www.hhs.gov/sites/defaul...

Refers to this, but the only named in the document people are Hoeg and Kuldorff www.hhs.gov/sites/defaul...

Here’s the new schedule as released by HHS a little while ago.

Stand down (for now). Hearing now that that announcement scheduled for tomorrow has abruptly been delayed until after the holidays.

Yeah I’m hearing bad (worse) things are coming.

And I made my improv debut, playing a dad with varying degrees of concern about the MMR vaccine while the pediatrician modeled different approaches to addressing them—with equal parts evidence and empathy—to build trust and respond to ‘my’ fears

Contrary to the claim made at ACIP that med students are just told to memorize the CDC schedule, I just spent a great hour with the @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social 1st year students alongside an ID doc and a pediatrician talking about measles, vaccine hesitancy, and how to talk w/ parents with concerns

FDA to update regulations after unconfirmed claims of Covid vaccine-linked death Announcement, and lack of details in the weeks following, represents major departure from previous FDA priorities

The longer the evidence is delayed, “the more it raises questions about what’s really under the hood regarding these allegations," @jasonlschwartz.bsky.social said. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

FDA to update regulations after unconfirmed claims of Covid vaccine-linked death Announcement, and lack of details in the weeks following, represents major departure from previous FDA priorities

The FDA says more information about claims that Covid vaccines resulted in death - for children and adults - will be coming "soon." But experts say the delay has been "striking." My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Positive news about COVID vaccines for kids published in MMWR! (Sad to immediately think that CDC employees may have risked their jobs in order to publish it…) www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...