Sept. 23, 2025
An update on AAFP’s public health efforts
By Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP
AAFP President
There is a single thread that connects us all: our commitment to ensuring patients have access to the best care possible.
Right now, the road to achieving that reality is narrowing and becoming more concerning by the day, which is why I want to have an honest dialogue about where we stand and why the AAFP is speaking out in this moment.
Earlier this year, like many of you, I watched with mixed optimism and skepticism as Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the nation, promising to preserve Americans’ access to vaccines and evidence-based care. I hoped that he would rely on the trusted scientists, researchers and public health experts across HHS.
Like so many dedicated public health professionals, I wanted to believe that evidence and experience would guide our nation’s course and that physicians’ voices would be heard and valued.
As the last eight months unfolded, it became clear that the exact opposite was happening. We witnessed thousands of public health workers who keep our patients and communities safe lose their jobs. We saw experts and scientists shut out of our country’s immunization review process. And we kept seeing conspiracy and fiction win out over science and fact.
This isn’t about politics. It never has been. It has always been about our neighbors, our friends and our families. It’s about patients who deserve confidence that the science behind their care is sound, and that the institutions entrusted with their well-being are worthy of that trust. When trust falters, like it is now, it is patients who pay the price.
Urge your members of Congress to support science-based recommendations, oppose the dismantling of trusted public health institutions and combat vaccine misinformation.
That’s why we, as an Academy, have called on the President of the United States to re-evaluate Secretary Kennedy’s ability to lead HHS, and we continue to urge Congress to step up its oversight, ensuring that public health cannot be compromised. We made that call because cabinet members are nominated by the president and serve at the president’s discretion. We made a deliberate and strategic choice to follow process and protocol, even when others do not. That means calling on the president to take action.
We also released our fall immunization recommendations, which diverge from the CDC’s. I wholeheartedly agree with what AAFP Chief Medical Officer Margot Savoy, MD, MPH, CPE, FAAFP, said, “Protecting public health is our collective responsibility.”
Late last week, AAFP Board Chair Steve Furr, MD, FAAFP, testified at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting, making sure committee members and policymakers heard again the importance of evidence-based decisions and the imperative to reinstate access to vaccines for all.
Thankfully, we’re not alone in our efforts to defend and protect public health. Throughout other medical societies and across the country, there is a groundswell of support for science and evidence-based medicine.
As I said a few weeks ago, I continue to be impressed by how our members use the AAFP’s Speak Out platform, which helps amplify our collective voice and makes sure Congress hears directly from you. Our latest Speak Out is still going strong; more than 8,000 of you have contacted your lawmakers and urged them to protect the integrity of science and vaccines.
Our voice matters, and by continuing the momentum, I am confident that we can rebuild trust, champion facts and ultimately secure a healthier future for every patient. We’ll keep engaging daily with the right people in the right ways to make change happen. Sometimes that means being loud. Other times, it means tuning out the noise and focusing on the resources you need to care for your patients. Our strength lies in our unity, our compassion and our sheer determination to do what’s right for our patients and communities.
Thank you for standing with me, with our Academy and with the millions of Americans who count on our courage and conviction every day.
Disclaimer
The opinions and views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the opinions and views of the American Academy of Family Physicians. This blog is not intended to provide medical, financial, or legal advice. All comments are moderated and will be removed if they violate our Terms of Use.