WASHINGTON — A vaccine adviser at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with ties to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is being given a new portfolio that will have him overseeing research into adverse childhood experiences, according to documents reviewed by STAT and an agency employee familiar with the matter.
William Thompson, who recently advised Kennedy on vaccine policy and has previously suggested the CDC omitted data on vaccine risks, will be temporarily promoted to the highest level of civilian government workers, a GS-15 with supervisory duties.
In his new role, Thompson will look to align the research around adverse childhood events — which can include traumatic episodes or environments that undermine children’s stability — with the agenda of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement, according to the documents reviewed by STAT. He will also lead students and fellows in their research work.
Through the promotion, Thompson is also expected to help shape parts of the agency’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, which monitors the health behaviors of high school students and is touted as the U.S.’s largest public health surveillance system.
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