In a more acerbic article, Vanderbilt researchers Jeremy Jacobs and Garrett Booth blasted Kennedy's appointment of infamous anti-vaccine advocate David Geier to lead a federal study on immunizations and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Geier and his father, Mark Geier, were named in 2010 by Nature magazine to be among the top science deniers.
The duo is known for endlessly promoting the exhaustively debunked false claim that vaccines cause autism, which Kennedy also promotes.
Mark Geier was stripped of his medical license over accusations he mistreated children with autism, and David Geier, who has no medical background, was fined for practicing medicine without a license.Jacobs and Booth argued that hiring David Geier compromises the integrity of the scientific process, erodes public trust, and provides a platform for unreliable information.
It's a "dangerous concession to pseudoscience," they wrote."Elevating figures known for spreading unreliable information threatens not only the integrity of individual research efforts but also the broader public confidence in science," they wrote.
"It sends a message that fringe views deserve equal standing with evidence-based consensus."The moves from Kennedy highlight escalating threats to science and medicine, the researchers wrote.
Like Edwards, they called for researchers and health experts to stand up to defend evidence-based medicine."At this critical juncture, public institutions and academic leaders must demonstrate courage and clarity," they wrote.
"If science is to remain a trusted foundation for public health, its stewards must be selected not for their ability to generate controversy, but for their commitment to truth.
That requires rejecting the normalization of unreliable information and reaffirming our collective responsibility to safeguard the integrity of public health."