Chuck Darwin<p>Vaccine skeptic hired to head federal study of immunizations and autism </p><p>A vaccine skeptic who has long promoted false claims about the connection between immunizations and autism has been tapped by the federal government to conduct a critical study of possible links between the two, <br>according to current and former federal health officials.<br>
The Department of Health and Human Services has hired <br><a href="https://c.im/tags/David" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>David</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Geier" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Geier</span></a> to conduct the analysis, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. </p><p>Geier and his father, <a href="https://c.im/tags/Mark" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Mark</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Geier" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Geier</span></a>, have published papers claiming vaccines increase the risk of autism, <br>-- a theory that has been studied for decades and scientifically debunked.<br>
David Geier was disciplined by Maryland regulators more than a decade ago for practicing medicine without a license. </p><p>He is listed as a data analyst in the HHS employee directory.
Public health and autism experts fear that choosing a researcher who has promoted false claims will produce a flawed study with far-reaching consequences. </p><p>They fear it will undermine the importance of the lifesaving inoculations <br>and further damage trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. </p><p>The government’s premier public health agency has stressed vaccination as the safest and most effective measure to control the spread of some contagious diseases, <br>including the growing measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico.</p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/03/25/vaccine-skeptic-hhs-rfk-immunization-autism/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">washingtonpost.com/health/2025</span><span class="invisible">/03/25/vaccine-skeptic-hhs-rfk-immunization-autism/</span></a></p>