Greetings from San Diego. I’m Jonathan Wosen, the West Coast biotech & life sciences reporter. Today, we have a compelling lineup that includes a discussion on the challenging decisions federal officials face regarding vaccine policy, the search for a permanent head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and an in-depth examination of how regulatory changes are complicating access to life-changing treatments for a severe gut infection.
On a personal note, I am beginning several months of parental leave, so you won’t see my byline for a while. Meanwhile, I encourage you to continue following the excellent work of my talented colleagues. I look forward to keeping up with their reporting from afar when I’m not occupied with my new family responsibilities.
What will federal officials do about the ruling delaying RFK Jr.’s vaccine overhaul?
Donald Trump has fulfilled his campaign pledge to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild on health,” appointing the vocal vaccine critic to lead the federal health department, where he has restructured a major vaccine advisory panel. However, a federal judge recently ruled that Kennedy’s changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the childhood vaccine schedule were likely illegal. Now, federal officials must decide how to address the court’s decision.
It’s a difficult decision, writes Chelsea Cirruzzo, a colleague. While the White House has largely backed Kennedy’s health agenda, pollsters have noted that altering vaccine policy is unpopular with voters, especially in an election year. A source familiar with the situation informed Chelsea that the administration has yet to decide whether to appeal the ruling. Reconstituting the ACIP once again could be another option.
For now, the panel’s previous recommendations are void due to the court order. These include delaying a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for mothers who test negative for the virus and separating a combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine. However, while the ACIP’s status is uncertain, Kennedy or the CDC director (a position currently unfilled) could make independent vaccine recommendations.
The crucial search for a new CDC director
Regarding the CDC director vacancy, Chris Klomp, the director of Medicare and a rising star in the federal health department, is playing a pivotal role in appointing one of the most contentious and significant positions in the Trump administration. During the STAT Breakthrough Summit East in New York last week, Klomp shared his approach to the process.
“I want somebody of unassailable, high moral integrity who is deeply experienced and has deep expertise and is qualified to lead a staggeringly complicated and essential government agency,” he stated. Klomp expressed concern over the declining trust in the CDC, an issue he believes predates the current administration. He added that he has evaluated candidates through Zoom and in-person interviews, with Kennedy also involved in the process.
Approximately half a dozen candidates have progressed to a “more senior interview phase,” Klomp told STAT. Time is of the essence: if the White House doesn’t nominate a new director by Wednesday, it won’t be able to retain Jay Bhattacharya as the acting director of the agency. Read more from STAT Executive Editor Rick Berke and Washington correspondent Daniel Payne.
Medicine’s trust issues are exacerbated by AI
Companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are making significant strides into health care, convinced their AI tools can benefit patients and providers. However, some of these systems have already shown to be error-prone, and the rush to implement them could further undermine trust in health care, argues physician-researcher Oni Blackstock in a STAT First Opinion.
Healthcare is a natural target for AI companies, Blackstock writes, as the field has the data that these algorithms need. However, polling indicates that the public lacks confidence that healthcare systems will use AI responsibly, with 58% of respondents in a 2025 study believing health systems would ensure an AI tool wouldn’t harm them.
“What needs to change is who contributes to decisions about how AI tools are purchased, governed, and used,” Blackstock writes, emphasizing that patients who have experienced discrimination in healthcare are the least likely to trust health systems to use AI responsibly. “Patients and community members need formal decision-making roles, not just advisory positions.”
New FDA rules have complicated access to fecal transplants
For those with severe Clostridioides difficile infections, fecal transplants can be a life-saving treatment by resetting the gut microbiome. However, obtaining these transplants has become more difficult due to tighter regulations on stool banks by the Food and Drug Administration, writes Eric Boodman of STAT.
In 2022 and 2023, FDA approved two companies for human-excrement-derived drugs to prevent C. diff. recurrence. Shortly after, the agency restricted OpenBiome, a nonprofit stool bank, ending a practice of not enforcing certain regulatory requirements. Consequently, the stool bank ceased shipping samples.
This increased regulation posed a significant challenge for Blanca Morales and her son Mundo, who was battling a severe C. diff infection. Approved therapies aren’t authorized for children, and Morales had to undergo a difficult process to secure off-label treatment for her son. “None of us said it, but we all feared that Mundo was going to die,” she told Eric, tearfully. Read more to see how this policy change has affected patients.
Match Day reveals the impact of immigration policy on aspiring doctors
Each year, countless medical students anxiously open envelopes to discover where they’ll complete their residency, gaining specialized training. For international students, this year’s Match Day, held on Friday, included an extra challenge—changes in federal immigration policy, such as travel bans and visa processing delays.
The National Resident Matching Program reported that non-U.S. citizen students who attended medical school abroad had a residency match rate of 56.4%, a five-year low, meaning nearly half of these applicants did not secure a position. International students needing visa sponsorships had an even lower rate of 54.4%, while 67.9% of green card holders who studied abroad matched. In contrast, the match rate for fourth-year medical students at U.S. schools was 93.5%.
Study finds diabetes outcomes worsen after insurance loss
Millions are expected to lose health insurance following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Act last year, which includes significant Medicaid cuts. This will likely lead to poorer outcomes for diabetes patients, according to a new study led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University. The study analyzed electronic health records from over 39,000 patients, including more than 5,000 who experienced insurance “churn,” defined as two or more consecutive uninsured visits to a community health center. They discovered that those with unstable coverage had higher HbA1C levels, a blood sugar measure, and required more insulin compared to insured individuals.
The study authors, whose work was published in JAMA Health Forum, did not find evidence linking insurance churn to severe complications like kidney failure or amputations. However, they warned that it takes time for more serious outcomes to manifest. “What we’re seeing is an early warning sign. The disease gets harder to manage after insurance loss,” said Nathalie Huguet, the study’s lead author, in a press release.
What we’re reading
- The Trump administration is closing in on a CDC pick amid ongoing leadership changes, Bloomberg
- A Florida woman in labor was summoned to Zoom court for refusing a C-section, ProPublica
- The Iran war has not disrupted pharmaceutical supply chains, but that could change if the conflict continues, STAT
- Opinion: The issue with promoting ‘gold standard science,’ Undark
- HBO’s ‘The Pitt’ accurately depicts how hospital cyberattacks create chaos, endanger patients, and disrupt critical care, The Conversation
What’s the word? Test your knowledge with today’s STAT Mini crossword.
