Health Student and Professional Sign-on Letter to Senator Todd Young

Dear Senator Young,

We are writing as a group of current and future healthcare workers in Indiana to express our concerns regarding your support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s position as Secretary of Health and Human Services. While we appreciate your engagement in the discussion about public health and your emphasis on regaining public trust in health agencies, we firmly believe that in just a few short months Mr. Kennedy has instituted changes that pose significant harm to Indiana and its residents . His views on science, public health, and transparency are not aligned with evidence-based practices that serve the needs of Hoosiers

Your line of questioning during the Senate Finance Committee hearing, particularly about Mr. Kennedy’s commitment to “radical transparency” and the need to return public health agencies to a “gold standard” of scientific review, raised significant concerns. While transparency and reproducibility in research are undeniably important, Mr. Kennedy’s actions and rhetoric suggest a misunderstanding of how public health agencies and scientific research should function. His support for policies that weaken public health infrastructure and spread misinformation directly undermines public trust in trusted health organizations like the CDC and NIH, which are critical to safeguarding public health and advancing scientific progress..

Research Integrity and Reproducibility

The integrity of scientific research is paramount, and we understand your emphasis on ensuring that studies are reproducible and transparent. However, Mr. Kennedy’s actions are making it increasingly difficult to achieve the transparency and reproducibility you advocate for. For example, his decision to fire NIH staff severely limits the agency’s ability to conduct critical research and support the replication of important studies. In addition, his recent replacement of all ACIP members sends the message that scientific agencies are subject to party politics, instead of a commitment to empirical science. This contradicts his calls for improved scientific transparency, as it undermines the resources necessary to produce reliable and reproducible research that can guide policy and healthcare decisions.

Moreover, Mr. Kennedy has advocated for continuing to fund studies on issues that have already been extensively researched and settled. For example, the scientific community has thoroughly investigated and debunked the false claims that childhood vaccines cause autism, with numerous large-scale studies and meta-analyses consistently showing no link between vaccines and autism. Despite this, Mr. Kennedy continues to call for additional studies on this issue, which would only waste valuable resources that could be better allocated to addressing current public health concerns. The science has already reached a consensus, and pushing for more studies on this settled issue is not only scientifically redundant but also diverts attention and funding away from urgent and unresolved public health challenges, such as increasing rates of chronic disease or emergent infectious diseases.

Vaccination and Public Health Efforts

In addition to misallocating resources, Mr. Kennedy has already made decisions that will harm public health. He has canceled crucial vaccination guideline meetings, which will delay the approval of new vaccines and impede the timely development of the annual flu vaccine. This delay poses a significant risk to public health, especially for patients with chronic health conditions who are at higher risk for complications from both influenza and other infectious diseases. By preventing the development and approval of vaccines on time, Mr. Kennedy is hindering efforts to combat infectious diseases and undermining his supposed goal of improving chronic healthcare in the United States

In addition to delaying the annual flu vaccine, Mr. Kennedy is also putting the development of future life saving science at risk. Just recently, Mr.Kennedy diverted $500 million of critical funding for the development of mRNA vaccination research under the presumption of disproven pseudoscience. This highlights the implications of Mr. Kennedy’s misinformation campaigns on real world consequences, as it puts American scientific innovation behind other countries, and puts Americans at risk of entirely preventable illnesses. 

Finally, an egregious and wholly unsubstantiated change to federal vaccine recommendation guidelines under Mr. Kennedy’s leadership demonstrates how his views and actions regarding the scientific review of vaccines are at best a lack of understanding of the importance of timely and efficient vaccine approval processes, or at worst an intention to undermine established guidelines of evidence based medicine at the behest of wellness industry hucksters.

Chronic Disease and Healthcare in Indiana

Chronic diseases, which account for 90% of healthcare spending, are a significant issue in Indiana. However, Mr. Kennedy’s policies—such as undermining key public health initiatives and defunding research programs—are counterproductive to solving these problems. Indiana has high rates of chronic conditions such as  diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, which are exacerbated by a lack of access to preventive care and education. Mr. Kennedy’s actions, including his support for policies that weaken public health infrastructure, will only hinder efforts to address these systemic issues.

Moreover, his approach to chronic disease does not align with the proven solutions that Indiana desperately needs. By neglecting to prioritize the research, prevention, and treatment of chronic conditions, Mr. Kennedy’s policies undermine our ability to address these pressing health concerns in the state.

Acetaminophen Misinformation

Mr. Kennedy continues to undermine public trust in established scientific research. When Mr. Kennedy goes on public record along with the rest of the Trump administration to suggest that Acetaminophen poses an autism risk, it is a blatant disregard of existing evidence. This claim is based on a single study that determined a potential causal relationship, compared to dozens of much larger and robust studies disproving this relationship after controlling for confounding variables. Major medical associations reject the claim and emphasize that controlling fevers during pregnancy leads to reduced terminated fetuses. Instead of carefully analyzing the data, Mr. Kennedy cherry picks evidence that confirms his agenda, with no concern for the potential risks to real American lives.

Acetaminophen remains an important medication for pregnant women, as NSAIDs actually are associated with adverse fetal outcomes such as renal dysfunction and oligohydramnios beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy. Additionally, acetaminophen is an important medication in managing the complex and life-threatening condition of preeclampsia during pregnancy. Dangerous and erroneous claims about the safety of acetaminophen in pregnancy is already having an impact on patient trust and understanding of the medical community in what can already a confusing and often stressful time for patients.

Long COVID Research

The lack of support for long COVID research is deeply troubling. The NIH has been allocated funding for long COVID research studies, and patient groups have called for more targeted funding for clinical trials and novel treatment options. Not only does this create significant obstacles to addressing the myriad far-reaching impacts of long COVID on our society, but it is precisely the opposite of what he told you he would do during the Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing in January. Notably, both he and President Trump disbanded the Health and Human Services Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID, breaking a key promise to support long COVID research. This failure to prioritize this critical area of research will hinder efforts to understand and mitigate the impacts of long COVID, further exacerbating the health burden in our state and across the country.

Impact on Indiana’s Public Health

In Indiana, where access to healthcare, especially in rural areas, remains a significant challenge, such misinformation and undermining of trusted health agencies will have long-lasting negative consequences. Many rural and underserved communities in our state struggle with limited access to healthcare providers and health education, which directly impacts public health outcomes. Mr. Kennedy’s approach to addressing these issues—focusing on scientific theories that lack consensus—will only exacerbate these challenges rather than addressing the core barriers to healthcare access and public health equity in Indiana

Conclusion and Accountability

As current and future healthcare workers dedicated to advancing science and public health, we cannot continue to allow an appointed federal official who has actively undermined public health efforts to continue to promote policies that will harm Hoosiers. Mr. Kennedy’s approach to science and public health will set us back in Indiana, where we already face significant health disparities and challenges.

As such, we Hoosiers dedicated to improving healthcare in our state request that you call for RFK Jr’s immediate resignation from his position as HHS Secretary. We will continue to advocate against Mr. Kennedy’s harmful policies and rhetoric now in our communities as well as hold you accountable for your (in)actions on this issue at the ballot box. Our collective voice will be heard in the upcoming election cycle and beyond, as we are committed to sustained advocacy and action to ensure that Indiana’s leadership prioritizes science, public health, and the well-being of all Hoosiers.

 

Sincerely,
Your constituents in healthcare, the undersigned:

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