"We're having to maintain our own optimism while we temper that with a grim reality, at least at present."

Since February 2025, when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services, federal research and vaccine programs have faced an unusual degree of turbulence. Major Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) contracts have been canceled outright, the most prominent being the half-billion-dollar portfolio of mRNA vaccine projects, an announcement made just 1 week ago. Other initiatives, including COVID-19 vaccine development and thousands of NIH grants, have been abruptly paused, reversed, or left in limbo. Even temporary freezes have disrupted both federal and academic research timelines and sown uncertainty in the public health community.

That uncertainty isn’t limited to funding spreadsheets. In a recent interview with Patient Care,© infectious disease expert William Schaffner, MD, observed that both veteran clinicians and younger doctors are feeling the strain—and for those just starting out, the career path ahead looks less secure than it once did.

Schaffner shared his concerns in the short video segment above.

William Schaffner, MD, is professor of preventive medicine with a primary appointment in the department of health policy and a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, in Nashville, TN. Schaffner is past medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and formerly served as NFID liaison to the ACIP at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He is also a past president of NFID.

For more of our conversation with Dr Schaffner, see:

What's the Mood Among Infectious Disease Experts Right Now? We Asked William Schaffner, MD

The ACIP's Rich History of Debate is in Jeopardy, Not A Good Sign for Science, ID Expert Says

Shifts in CDC Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for Children Dilute Protection for the Vulnerable Population, ID Specialist Warns

How to Talk to Patients About Respiratory Virus Vaccines This Year? The Same Way We Always Do

With Medical Societies "Uninvited" From ACIP Vaccine Working Groups, Is There Any Hope for Harmonized Schedules?