Martin Kulldorff, a high-profile vaccine critic and former chair of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, has been appointed chief science officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency announced Monday.

Kulldorff, a Swedish biostatistician, is best known for co-authoring "The Great Barrington Declaration," which urged reliance on natural immunity early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

His appointment marks the latest step in HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s overhaul of federal vaccine and public health policy.

Kennedy revamped the entire ACIP earlier this year, installing several vaccine skeptics and naming Kulldorff as chair. Kulldorff served in that role until this week.

Kulldorff previously taught at Harvard Medical School until his 2024 dismissal, which he said was due to his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a statement Monday, Kennedy praised Kulldorff for reshaping the influential vaccine panel, saying the scientist helped shift ACIP from what he called a routine approval body into one that delivers "gold-standard science for the American people."

Kennedy said Kulldorff will now play a central role in shaping new health policies as part of his broader "Make America Healthy Again" initiative.

Kulldorff said he was honored to take the position and looked forward to working with what he called a distinguished team of scientists at HHS. He said the department is positioned to advance "science-based public health policies" under Kennedy's leadership.

With Kulldorff moving into his new role, pediatric cardiologist and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon Kirk Milhoan will assume the chair of ACIP.

Milhoan, also a vocal critic of vaccines, has argued that natural immunity is more effective than vaccination and is a senior fellow at the Independent Medical Alliance, which has spoken out against mRNA vaccines while promoting drugs such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment.

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