Jonathan Rockoff

A lot of this comes from this criticism of the pandemic response and how overarching the public health response to the pandemic was. And this feeling that because the public health authorities sort of overstepped their authority, we need to rein it back again. We see this most saliently in vaccines. There's a lot of criticism on the right about mandating vaccines and things like that.

A lot of this comes from this criticism of the pandemic response and how overarching the public health response to the pandemic was. And this feeling that because the public health authorities sort of overstepped their authority, we need to rein it back again. We see this most saliently in vaccines. There's a lot of criticism on the right about mandating vaccines and things like that.

And so a lot of the cuts have been targeted at vaccines in particular.

And so a lot of the cuts have been targeted at vaccines in particular.

We already see right now that no matter who's in charge, that there are going to be public health threats and that whoever is in charge is going to have to deal with them. Right now, we're seeing this measles outbreak in the Southwest and then some other states. And we're also dealing with bird flu. So these threats remain. I think part of what the Trump administration and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

We already see right now that no matter who's in charge, that there are going to be public health threats and that whoever is in charge is going to have to deal with them. Right now, we're seeing this measles outbreak in the Southwest and then some other states. And we're also dealing with bird flu. So these threats remain. I think part of what the Trump administration and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

are doing is sort of rethinking what the balance should be. And as Betsy has sort of laid out, I think there's a... There's a different sense of what we should invest our preventative resources in and whether that should be in something like HIV or whether it should be in chronic diseases.

are doing is sort of rethinking what the balance should be. And as Betsy has sort of laid out, I think there's a... There's a different sense of what we should invest our preventative resources in and whether that should be in something like HIV or whether it should be in chronic diseases.

Well, it's a little unclear. He's definitely been out front about how he thinks we need to do more to prevent chronic diseases. But we haven't necessarily seen a lot of specifics around how he would do that. So that's TBD. What we have seen is skepticism about vaccines and about some of the other sort of infectious disease prevention efforts. And then we see Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Well, it's a little unclear. He's definitely been out front about how he thinks we need to do more to prevent chronic diseases. But we haven't necessarily seen a lot of specifics around how he would do that. So that's TBD. What we have seen is skepticism about vaccines and about some of the other sort of infectious disease prevention efforts. And then we see Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

himself using mixed descriptions of the efficacy and safety of the vaccines and agencies in HHS beginning efforts to take a look at the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, even though most researchers say that's already been settled and that vaccines are really good and they prevent diseases like measles and they don't cause autism.

himself using mixed descriptions of the efficacy and safety of the vaccines and agencies in HHS beginning efforts to take a look at the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, even though most researchers say that's already been settled and that vaccines are really good and they prevent diseases like measles and they don't cause autism.

One other thing to note here is the other sort of early tangible impact that we're seeing in the public health, healthcare spaces and research there's been cuts to NIH and other funding of medical research.

One other thing to note here is the other sort of early tangible impact that we're seeing in the public health, healthcare spaces and research there's been cuts to NIH and other funding of medical research.

So for the last generation, a lot of the progress that we've seen against serious diseases like cancer has started in government-funded academic laboratories, which have found the causes of the diseases insights that lead to drugs to treat those diseases. And what may happen, but we aren't sure yet, is that that sort of link between government funding and academic advances may be broken.

So for the last generation, a lot of the progress that we've seen against serious diseases like cancer has started in government-funded academic laboratories, which have found the causes of the diseases insights that lead to drugs to treat those diseases. And what may happen, but we aren't sure yet, is that that sort of link between government funding and academic advances may be broken.

This gets at the underlying debate. We've been doing things for the past generation a certain way, but there's no reason why we have to do them that way. And I think the Trump administration, to its credit, is taking a hard look at how we've been doing things. And the government has been this huge funder of medical research.

This gets at the underlying debate. We've been doing things for the past generation a certain way, but there's no reason why we have to do them that way. And I think the Trump administration, to its credit, is taking a hard look at how we've been doing things. And the government has been this huge funder of medical research.

But philanthropies have also funded medical research, and pharmaceutical companies and other health care companies have also funded research. And perhaps with the Trump administration's prodding, that will get rejiggered and we'll see a different amount of life sciences industry funding of academic labs, for instance. What people say in the academic world, for instance, is...

But philanthropies have also funded medical research, and pharmaceutical companies and other health care companies have also funded research. And perhaps with the Trump administration's prodding, that will get rejiggered and we'll see a different amount of life sciences industry funding of academic labs, for instance. What people say in the academic world, for instance, is...