Cardiologist reinstated after being fired for role with CDC vaccine panel
Kirk Milhoan, MD, PhD, a veteran cardiologist who is now the chair of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), is no longer fired from his role as a pediatric cardiologist.
He was reportedly fired due to his role with the ACIP. However, according to an update from Kimberly Milhoan, MD, an anesthesiologist in Hawaii and the wife of Kirk Milhoan, that decision has been reversed. As things stand now, he still has his job as a pediatric cardiologist.
“We are truly humbled by all who came to Kirk’s defense,” she wrote online.
ACIP role puts cardiologist at the center of ongoing controversies
Milhoan’s new role as ACIP chair means he is suddenly at the center of some of the biggest stories in all of healthcare. Vaccines became a controversial topic during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in cardiology, and those conflicting opinions have grown only more heated in recent years.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made it a priority to update several U.S. vaccine policies, expressing a general belief that many of them may be unsafe. The number of vaccines recommended for childhood immunization schedules, for instance, has decreased from 17 to 11. Elsewhere, the Trump administration ruled that states are no longer required to report vaccine rates to the federal government.
These changes have had their fair share of critics as well as plenty of admirers. Several healthcare groups, including the American College of Emergency Physicians, have shared statements opposed to these updates. Groups such as Independent Medical Alliance, meanwhile, have thrown their support behind any efforts to update U.S. vaccine policies.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.