In a shocking development, the Department of Health and Human Services has reportedly appointed the controversial vaccine skeptic David Geier to lead a new study on vaccines, igniting alarm among public health advocates. Geier, known for his anti-vaccine stance and past disciplinary actions for practicing medicine without a license, has raised significant concerns regarding the integrity of future vaccine research.
Jessica Steier, head of the nonprofit Science Literacy Lab, expressed her dismay in an interview with the Washington Post, stating, “This is a worst-case scenario for public health.” She emphasized that both David and his father, Mark Geier, have consistently demonstrated an anti-vaccine agenda, undermining decades of credible research. “It’s a slap in the face to the decades of actual credible research we have,” she added.
Vaccines represent one of the greatest achievements in modern medicine, having saved approximately 154 million lives globally, including 101 million infants, over the past 50 years, according to a major study led by the World Health Organization. Among these, the measles vaccine, often provided in combination with mumps and rubella (the MMR vaccine), has been credited with saving around 60% of lives attributed to vaccination efforts.
Despite the overwhelming benefits of vaccines, skepticism has grown over the past few decades. This trend can be traced back to a now-retracted 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield, which falsely suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Based on a mere 12 children, the study's results were never replicated, and Wakefield later lost his medical license for falsifying data.
The Lancet retracted Wakefield's paper in February 2010, acknowledging that several elements were incorrect and contradicted previous findings. Subsequent investigations revealed ethical violations, as invasive procedures were performed on children without proper consent, and scientific misrepresentation, with claims of consecutive sampling that were actually selective.
The British Medical Journal has published a series of articles exposing Wakefield's fraudulent practices, which seem to have been motivated by financial gain. Despite the retraction and substantial evidence disproving the vaccine-autism link, misconceptions continue to proliferate in media and public discourse.
In light of these developments, the United States plans to conduct further research on vaccines through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), previously under the purview of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Notably, the Trump administration, including figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Trump, has a history of expressing skepticism about vaccines. During a recent Congressional session, Trump cited rising autism diagnoses—often attributed to improved diagnostic practices—as justification for renewed investigation.
David Geier, alongside his father Mark, has authored several papers making claims about vaccines causing autism, many of which have been retracted. In 2010, the respected journal Nature named the Geiers among the top science deniers, highlighting their assertion that thimerosal, a preservative in some vaccines, is linked to autism. Mark Geier, who holds a doctorate in genetics, and David Geier, with a bachelor's degree in biology, have promoted controversial treatments for autism, including chelation therapy and the use of Lupron, a drug not approved for this purpose.
Mark Geier has faced severe professional repercussions, with his medical license suspended or revoked in every state where he practiced, largely due to his unproven autism treatments and flawed research methodologies. David Geier was also disciplined for practicing medicine without a license in Maryland. Critics have pointed out that the institutional review board for their research lacked independence and objectivity, consisting primarily of associates and family members.
The implications of the Geier appointment are troubling, and doubts persist about the validity of any new research he may conduct. Professor Jeffrey S. Morris, Director of the Division of Biostatistics at the Perelman School of Medicine, has criticized the methodology of Geier's previous studies as fundamentally flawed. He advocates for rigorous scientific standards, calling for experienced biostatisticians and epidemiologists to ensure valid study designs and accurate interpretations.
As the scientific community awaits the details of this new research, concerns remain that it may be biased towards proving a link between vaccines and autism, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation, voiced her apprehension, stating that the current administration's goal appears to be to substantiate the debunked notion that vaccines cause autism, even though extensive research has consistently disproven this claim.
