David Higgins MD MPH

My article in @NEJM with Dr. Sean O'Leary discusses the risks of normalizing parental vaccine hesitancy. "What should be normalized is parents confidently having their children vaccinated... that is still, in fact, the norm." @AmerAcadPeds nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…

Don’t believe the headlines this week saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread. Here’s what the data actually shows in my piece in STAT today. statnews.com/2026/04/17/vac… via @statnews

Don’t believe the headlines this week saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread. Here’s what the data actually show. 👇

A recent poll claimed vaccine skepticism is widespread. However, a careful reading of the poll data tells a different story. @DrHigginsMD takes a closer look at the survey questions and what the data actually say. Here's what you need to know: ow.ly/oRIi50YKELC.

NEW: Top contender for CDC director, Erica Schwartz, would have free rein to run CDC w/ little interference—if Trump gives OK and Senate confirms— assuming she is up to the task, per sources. Our latest on search. 1/4 w/ @ddiamond @rachel_roubein washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04…

UPDATE: The White House is considering three others to serve in senior roles at @CDCGov: Sean Slovenski, former Walmart exec; Jennifer Shuford, Texas health commish; Sara Brenner, currently at FDA. By @ddiamond and me

Our article is out today in @statnews Do pediatricians get rich from vaccines? We followed the money. Short answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT. This dangerously misleading claim just won’t die. statnews.com/2026/01/29/ped… via @statnews

“Parents can continue to trust their pediatricians,” says David Higgins, MD. In this article, Higgins and Sean O'Leary, MD, share concerns their that recent changes to vaccine schedules will cause confusion for families. @DrHigginsMD @SeanOLearyMD cpr.org/2026/01/05/cdc…

SCOOP: New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: ‘I was not anti-vaccine. I am now’ My story about the two new advisers, both ob-gyns, to the federal vaccine advisory panel. wapo.st/4pFHsEe

Read my @medpagetoday op-ed on recent U.S. vaccine policy changes framed as “restoring trust.” From clinic, the gap between that idea and reality is striking. Trust comes from clarity, evidence, and consistency. medpagetoday.com/opinion/second… #Vaccines #PublicHealth @genevievefri

🎙 Off the Chart is back for 2026! On today's episode: @DrHigginsMD says true vaccine hesitancy is rarer than headlines suggest — and most parents still want vaccines. He shares practical, exam-room strategies to rebuild trust. 🎧 Listen now: hubs.li/Q03-1MmK0

Removing universal protections would increase disease, disrupt vaccine supply and access (especially combination vaccines), threaten Medicaid and VFC coverage, raise clinician liability risk, and create chaos for families, clinics, and schools.

The U.S. isn’t an outlier among peers—many high-income countries (Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain) use similar routine schedules.

National vaccine schedules cannot be copy-pasted. This is dangerous vaccine policy. The confusion and disruption would be immediate. As I told WaPo, "I have never been more concerned about the future of vaccines and children’s health than I am now.” 🧵 nytimes.com/2025/12/19/hea…

“The most dangerous misinformation is the kind that’s wrapped in the appearance of scientific authority.” - David Higgins, pediatrician, U of Colorado This week, ACIP provided exactly that. Excellent reporting by @bylenasun & colleagues that captures it all.

🔗 washingtonpost.com/health/2025/12…

The CDC’s ACIP vaccine meeting this week was flooded with rhetoric posing as science. Confidence ≠ evidence. As I told WaPo: misinformation wrapped in scientific authority is the most dangerous kind. Our kids deserve better.

Vaccine committee votes to scrap universal hepatitis B shots for newborns despite outcry from children’s health experts @ConversationUS @DrHigginsMD theconversation.com/vaccine-commit…