'We just dismiss people like RFK Jr.': Infectious disease expert on how — and how not — to rebuild trust

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has been in a marathon of meetings to shore up his confirmation votes come the new year. As his “Make America Healthy Again” movement gets closer to a seat of power in the federal government, onlookers are wondering how Kennedy’s sweeping critiques of food, pharma and health care will translate into actual policy.  

Some general areas of agreement — ripe for policymaking — have emerged, including on limiting corporate influence in government and improving the food supply so healthy foods are accessible for more Americans. There also seems to be bipartisan agreement that federal health officials should respond to the public’s suspiciousness with transparency and clear communication. That, in turn, may rebuild trust that has degraded over time and especially during the Covid pandemic.

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