By Ed Cara Published March 26, 2025 | Comments (8) | The headquarters of the Department of Human and Health Services in Washington D.C. Mark Van Scyoc via Shutterstock The wolves have firmly taken charge of the henhouse. The federal government has reportedly chosen David Geier, a notorious vaccine skeptic, to lead its upcoming study examining an already debunked link between vaccination and autism. The Washington Post first reported on the development Tuesday afternoon, citing anonymous current and former federal health officials. Geier has long advocated against vaccination, often releasing shoddy and swiftly discredited research. His hiring is yet another sign that the countrys public health agenda, now led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is being led astray. News of the federal governments planned study into vaccines and autism first broke in early March. At the time, the CDC was expected to lead the research and began to do so at the behest of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to The Washington Post. In recent weeks, however, HHS reportedly changed tack and instructed the National Institutes of Health to conduct the study instead. HHS has hired Geier to lead the analysis, according to the Washington Post. A listing matching his name can be seen on the agencys employee directory, where he is described as a senior data analyst. When briefly interviewed by The Washington Post, Geier declined to confirm whether he had a role in the study, directing questions to those in charge. Gizmodo reached out to HHS but has not yet received any comment regarding these latest developments. Much like HHS chief RFK Jr., Geier has a long history of supporting the anti-vaccination movement, usually alongside his father, Mark Geier. The Geiers have regularly released research purporting to show the hidden dangers of vaccination, often focusing on a link between mercury-based ingredients in vaccines and autismresearch that Kennedy himself has cited in his attacks against vaccines. In addition to his research, Mark Geier has frequently served as an expert legal witness for plaintiffs seeking compensation for alleged vaccine injuries in federal court cases, but he has been barredfrom doing so in some cases.The Geiers have also created and profited from the sale of autism treatments supposedly meant to help people damaged by mercury.Importantly, the vast majority of studies examining the issue have failed to find any connection between autism and vaccines or their ingredients. The Geiers research has also been routinely criticized by scientists over the years for misinterpreting data to support their agenda, and their studies have occasionally been retracted. Mark Geier does have scientific training as a physician and geneticist, but David Geier only has a bachelors degree in biology. In 2011, the Maryland State Board of Physicians suspended and later revoked Mark Geiers license to practice medicine in the state over allegations that he mistreated several autistic patients in his care; that same year, the state charged David Geier with practicing medicine without a license, alleging that he misrepresented himself as a doctor to his fathers patients (Geier claimed that his only role in the practice was administrative). In securing his nomination to lead HHS, RFK Jr. assured his critics that he would have no issue acknowledging that vaccines dont cause autism once presented with the scientific evidence showing as much. But Kennedy has a long track record of ignoring this evidence, even dismissing examples of it during a Senate hearing prior to his confirmation. Geiers hiring is another strong indicator that any such discovery process will be rigged in favor of the anti-vaccination movement.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Thomas Maxwell Published March 24, 2025 By Ed Cara Published March 13, 2025 By Ed Cara Published March 12, 2025 By Ed Cara Published March 11, 2025 By Ed Cara Published March 10, 2025 By Matt Novak Published March 7, 2025