Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired two senior physicians from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a move doctors say threatens to undermine cancer screening guidelines and other critical preventative health measures.
Dr. John Wong of Tufts University and Dr. Esa Davis of the University of Maryland were both terminated “effective immediately,” receiving a letter from Kennedy on May 11. The letter claimed the action was “administrative” and not related to their performance.
Jan Carney, president of the American College of Physicians, called the firings “alarming,” stating the group takes issue with “the lack of transparency” and accused the administration of politicizing the guideline process. The task force has been largely inactive for the past year.
Kennedy has previously labeled the USPSTF as too “woke” and “negligent.” Former USPSTF chair Michael Silverstein warned: “The administration came after children’s immunizations, and now it’s coming after our mammograms and our other cancer screenings.”