Over 75 Nobel Laureates Oppose Robert F Kennedy Jr's Nomination By Trump As Health Secretary Over 'Lack Of Credentials'

More than 75 Nobel Prize winners have signed a letter urging US senators to reject Robert F Kennedy Jr's nomination as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under President-elect Donald Trump.

Richard Roberts, a 1993 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine, who helped draft the letter, said it was a rare but necessary step. "These political attacks on science are very damaging," Roberts said. "You have to stand up and protect it."

The letter criticises Kennedy's "lack of credentials" in medicine, science, and administration, asserting that his leadership would jeopardize public health and diminish America's global standing in health sciences.

It also highlights Kennedy's promotion of conspiracy theories, including debunked claims linking vaccines to autism and unfounded suggestions that the coronavirus selectively targets ethnic groups.

Kennedy’s opposition to established public health measures, such as vaccines and water fluoridation, and his hostility toward agencies like the FDA, CDC, and NIH, have alarmed the laureates. "The leader of DHHS should continue to nurture and improve -- not to threaten -- these important and highly respected institutions and their employees," the letter states.

Kennedy has previously called for the imprisonment of vaccine scientists and pledged to replace hundreds of NIH employees upon taking office. He has also accused the FDA of waging a "war on public health."

The letter, signed by 77 laureates across disciplines, includes prominent figures such as Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who discovered microRNA, and economists Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, recognized for their work on global inequality.

Dr Harold Varmus, a 1989 Nobel Prize recipient, emphasised the inseparability of scientific progress and political structures, noting that federal funding drives economic growth through research. "Science is dependent on the political structures of this country," he said. "I don't think we should be burying our heads in the sand just because we're scientists."

Roberts expressed hope that the letter might persuade enough senators to block Kennedy’s appointment, safeguarding the integrity of public health leadership.