Top Medical Groups Launch Independent Vaccine Review

AMA and Vaccine Integrity Project aim to provide science-backed guidance on vaccine policy decisions

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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The nation's largest organization of physicians, the American Medical Association (AMA), is joining forces with the Vaccine Integrity Project, a vaccine research group at the University of Minnesota, to independently review vaccine science and safety. This effort is designed to provide doctors and families with evidence-driven guidance on vaccine policies, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has faced criticism for recent changes to its recommended childhood vaccine schedule.

Why it matters

The move by the AMA and Vaccine Integrity Project comes amid concerns over the CDC's vaccine policies under the Trump administration, which has installed known vaccine critics on the advisory panel that informs the agency's recommendations. This independent review aims to ensure a 'deliberative, evidence-driven approach' to understanding the risks and benefits of vaccine policies for all populations.

The details

The AMA and Vaccine Integrity Project will not make vaccine recommendations like the CDC, but rather aim to provide doctors and families with science-backed guidance. This effort is in response to the CDC's recent reduction of the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 17 to 11 shots, a move that experts have criticized as undermining public health and endangering children.

  • In summer 2025, the Trump administration overhauled the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, installing known vaccine critics.
  • In December 2025, the CDC's advisory panel voted to end mandatory Hepatitis B vaccines for newborns.
  • Also in December 2025, the CDC sidelined its advisory panel and reduced the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 17 to 11 shots.

The players

American Medical Association (AMA)

The nation's largest organization of physicians, which is launching an independent effort to review vaccine science and safety.

Vaccine Integrity Project

A vaccine research group run by the University of Minnesota, which is partnering with the AMA on the independent vaccine review.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, who is a long-time vaccine skeptic and has overseen a broad rollback of the country's recommended childhood vaccines.

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

An independent panel of experts that has traditionally helped inform the CDC's vaccine recommendations, but was overhauled by the Trump administration in 2025 to include known vaccine critics.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The U.S. government health agency that has faced criticism for recent changes to its recommended childhood vaccine schedule.

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What’s next

The AMA and Vaccine Integrity Project have not specified a timeline for their independent vaccine review, but their findings could have significant implications for future vaccine policies and recommendations in the United States.

The takeaway

This independent review by the AMA and Vaccine Integrity Project aims to provide a counterweight to the CDC's vaccine policies, which have come under scrutiny amid concerns over political influence and the sidelining of expert advisory panels. The outcome of this review could have far-reaching impacts on public health and the vaccination landscape in the U.S.