Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is actively engaging with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team to advocate for a leadership role in public health oversight, although he will not serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Reports from the Trump team clarify that Kennedy will instead focus on vaccine safety and health data rather than taking on the HHS secretary role, which had been under consideration for both Kennedy and Dr. Ben Carson.
Former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Robert Redfield warned that gain-of-function research into the bird flu virus may cause a "great pandemic."