On Crackpots and Cancer: why RFK Jr. advising Trump on appointments matters

On Crackpots and Cancer: why RFK Jr. advising Trump on appointments matters

I am a proud retired employee of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is often called the Crown Jewel of the federal government. I recently read with dismay that Trump has offered RFK Jr. the opportunity to advise on the appointment of the directors of the NIH, the CDC, and the FDA. That has obvious disastrous implications for public health related to infectious diseases.

But let me make you aware of something. There is one institute at the NIH that also has a Director who is presidentially appointed: the National Cancer Institute (NCI). And there is remarkable research being funded by the NCI into mRNA vaccines against cancers such as lung cancer, brain cancer, and melanoma. This is the same type of vaccine as the Covid vaccine, which has saved millions of lives and yet is vilified by conspiracy theorists like RFK Jr.

What do you think will happen to funding and approval of these vaccines if there are anti-VAX people at the heads of these agencies?

If you or someone you love has been affected by cancer, please spread this information. We saw stem cell research set back during the Republican years when it was banned. Don’t let that happen to this promising new avenue of cancer prevention.