Robert Malone, vice chair of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine advisory group, resigned from his position following a dispute with senior officials about the committee's future, according to a March 27 announcement. Malone’s departure comes amid ongoing leadership changes and communication issues at the CDC.
The resignation is significant as it highlights recent instability within the agency responsible for national immunization guidelines. Leadership turnover and conflicting public statements have created uncertainty around key public health decisions.
Malone had posted on social media that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the CDC on immunization policy, was being disbanded. Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), denied this claim in an emailed statement to BioSpace: “Unless officially announced by us, any assertions about what we are doing next is baseless speculation.” Other outlets also reported Nixon’s denial. Malone later retracted his original statement.
In a text message to Roll Call, Malone said: “After Andrew trashing me with the press, I am done with the CDC and ACIP. That was the last straw. Suffice to say I do not like drama, and have better things to do.” Martin Kulldorff, former ACIP chair and current chief science officer at HHS’ Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, supported Nixon: “I found him to be professional and honest in his work supporting ACIP,” he said in a statement to Roll Call. However, Kulldorff added: “I can sympathize with [Malone’s] decision to step away.”
The CDC has been without a permanent director since Susan Monarez left in August 2025. Jim O’Neill served briefly before resigning last month; Jay Bhattacharya now acts as interim director while awaiting White House nomination of a permanent replacement—a deadline that has already passed according to The Washington Post. Nixon confirmed Bhattacharya will continue leading CDC operations.
Bhattacharya reportedly faces challenges working under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for antivaccine views. In an internal meeting obtained by NOTUS, Bhattacharya told staff he would "continue to strongly encourage parents to vaccinate their children" against measles: "The way that we actually get back to having basically zero measles transmission is by making sure that every community in the country knows that this is the best way to protect their kids from this deadly disease." Responding publicly on X about these reports—which he called "clickbait"—Bhattacharya wrote: "I differ on scientific matters with nearly everyone about some things. I learn much from respectful conversations about those disagreements, including especially with Sec. Kennedy."
