1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

The appointment of David Geier to lead a study examining the purported link between vaccines and autism is deeply concerning from a scientific standpoint. Geier lacks relevant medical qualifications and has a troubling history of promoting debunked claims about vaccines causing autism, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. His previous actions, such as exploiting confidential vaccine safety data and treating autistic children with unproven and potentially harmful therapies, raise serious ethical and methodological doubts about his ability to conduct an impartial, rigorous study on this issue. Geier's well-documented biases and questionable practices could undermine the integrity of the research and produce findings that misinform the public and policymakers. Granting someone with Geier's background the authority to investigate this settled scientific question is an affront to evidence-based medicine and public health. Thorough, ethical research on vaccine safety is essential, but this study under Geier's leadership risks promoting misinformation that could erode public trust in vaccines and reverse hard-won progress against preventable diseases. For the sake of safeguarding public health, this appointment demands reconsideration to ensure the study is helmed by credible experts committed to scientific rigor and objectivity.