Robert M. Califf | Lightnews

Robert Califf

@robcaliff.bsky.social

900 followers 59 following 400 posts

Robert McKinnon Califf is an American cardiologist who served as the 25th commissioner of food and drugs from 2016 to 2017 and again from 2022 to 2025.

Source: Wikipedia

Medicine 47%

Economics 27%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 2h

I found this to be a fascinating read from my own institution.

open.substack.com/pub/dontaylo...

Sweezy v. New Hampshire (1957)

Academic Freedom & Cyclical Radicalism

open.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 4h

I'll be writing more about this but while inspections are critical, we can't inspect our way into quality systems for food safety--more is involved, but this is a classic example of Congressional mandates without adequate funding to carry out the job, now exacerbated by the "DOGE effect".

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 4h

Hopefully this can be turned around.

www.foodpolitics.com/2025/11/not-...

Not good news: The FDA is conducting fewer foreign inspections - Food Politics by Marion Nestle

The FDA is reducing safety inspections of foreign food imports, even though much of our seafood, fresh fruit and egetables are imported.

www.foodpolitics.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 9h

Hard to believe, but seems to be for real.

open.substack.com/pub/insideme...

Scoop: The apparent new #2 at CDC is a top ivermectin prescriber who ended Louisiana’s vaccine-promotion media campaigns.

The current Surgeon General of Louisiana has made headlines recently, including for allegedly burying a whooping cough outbreak.

open.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 4d

Another good one from Lisa Rosenbaum. You get what you pay for? I am hearing more people in different sectors articulate the serious nature of our US primary care inadequacy.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Why Have We Chosen Not to Fix Primary Care? The Vicious Cycle of Medical Hierarchy | NEJM

Luring trainees to primary care requires making its work more tenable and increasing its financial resources. But this recognition won’t lead to change without a transformation of underlying values.

www.nejm.org

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 5d

Good people speaking out.

open.substack.com/pub/theunbia...

This Isn’t Checkmate

Reflections from the morning after RFK’s CDC changed its vaccine-autism webpage

open.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 5d

Tragic. Critical to promote reliable information from the biomedicine community.

Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 5d

CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”

Autism and
Vaccines
QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS
PAGE 2 OF 9 | ALL PAGES J
For Everyone
NOV. 19, 2025
KEY POINTS
• The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.
• Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.

HHS Research on Plausible Biologic
Mechanisms between Vaccines and Autism
HHS will evaluate plausible biologic mechanisms between early childhood vaccinations and autism. Mechanisms for further investigation include the impacts of aluminum adjuvants, risks for certain children with mitochondrial disorders, harms of neuroinflammation, and more.
* The header "Vaccines do not cause autism" has not been removed due to an agreement with the chair of the
U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that it would remain on the CDC website.

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Lisa W. Fazio, Michael Barnett , and 25 more Marc Lynch, Lisa W. Fazio, Michael Barnett, Elizabeth Saunders, Dorothy Bishop, Robert M. Califf, Will Jennings, Peter Thorne, Joshua S. Weitz, Michael A. Clemens, Philip N. Cohen, Sarah E. Gollust, Torbjørn Wisløff, Daniel W. Drezner, Smith, Robert C. Richards, Janet Murray, Rebecca Tushnet, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Stefan M. Herzog, Larry W. Hunter, Katelyn K. Jetelina, Jason Williams, Aviel Roshwald, Timothy D. McBride, Clark Gray, David Darmofal

Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 5d

CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 6d

This is not surprising, but disappointing nonetheless. if wthe triple-demic takes off this winter (flu, covid, RSV) there will be excessive an unnecessary death, disability and hospital dysfunction due to the low vax rates and increase in insurance rates.

www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Have changes to CDC guidelines influenced Americans’ COVID-19 vaccine decisions?

A majority of U.S. adults (59%) say they don’t want to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine.

www.pewresearch.org

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 6d

Part 2 on informed consent-dealing with uncertainty.

robcaliff272993.substack.com/p/uncertaint...

Uncertainty and Consent for Clinical Research

This is the second of a three-part series on informed consent as a significant element of our clinical research enterprise that needs considerable work to make it more efficient and effective in gener...

robcaliff272993.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 6d

People interested in pandemic preparedness should read this

www.city-journal.org/article/nih-...

NIH Directors: The World Needs a New Pandemic Playbook

The old one failed to cope with Covid and may even have caused it.

www.city-journal.org

Reposted by Robert M. Califf

Bob Wachter @bobwachter.bsky.social · 7d

My new post on Substack: Why patient-facing healthcare AI is a good idea, but general-purpose chatbots like GPT are probably not the right tool for the job. robertwachter.substack.com/p/we-need-me...

We Need Medical AI for Patients

But ChatGPT Isn't It

robertwachter.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 7d

Looks bad. More analysis need to sort out the impact and how to salvage needed answers to research questions.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Clinical Trials Affected by Research Grant Terminations at the National Institutes of Health

This cross-sectional study summarizes the number of trials with terminated grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and calculates the proportion of affected trials among those with previou...

jamanetwork.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 8d

Good for a chuckle.

www.foodpolitics.com/2025/11/indu...

Industry funded study of the week: Pet food - Food Politics by Marion Nestle

The Farmer's Dog announced research showing that fresh diets help dogs stay more hydrated than traditional dry food.

www.foodpolitics.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 8d

Good description of an important transition that is likely to make a big difference in outcomes.

open.substack.com/pub/erictopo...

The Big Shift in Cardiology to Atheroma and Inflammation

One A.I. company's tag line: "Creating A World Without Heart Attacks"

open.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 12d

This is a good summary--quite sad that so many well motivated and highly intelligent people work in a medical care system that has gotten so dysfunctional.

open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...

5 ways our health care system has become utterly insane

A deep dive into the U.S. health care system: rising costs, corporate takeover, and why reform keeps failing.

open.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 13d

Good summary from an expert. I hope Dr Mayne will produce a lot more substacks--she has a lot to contribute.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

ByHeart, Botulism, and Powdered Infant Formula Safety

In the face of numerous questions about the ByHeart infant formula botulism outbreak, I wanted to share my perspective based on my prior experiences involving infant formula outbreaks and safety.

substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 13d

If you care about evidence informed policy its important to "show up" in person adn in social media.

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 13d

Companion article:

www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/m...

At ‘hush-hush’ MAHA summit, RFK Jr. and deputies to mix with biotech leaders

A who's who of MAHA federal officials will be speaking at an event, stacked with industry executives and activists, organized largely in secrecy.

www.statnews.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 13d

Companion articles--there is a message here!

www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/c...

I’m a physician who went to the anti-vaccine movement’s biggest gathering. More of my colleagues should too

A pro-vaccine physician went to the anti-vaccine movement’s biggest gathering. He warns that public health must learn what it’s up against.

www.statnews.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 14d

Informed consent is one of many areas where we could get a lot more efficient while also making it better for research participants. What's stopping us?

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 14d

Clinical research, particularly clinical trials, are not delivering enough evidence to inform us about what to emphasize and what to reduce as we spend $5 trillion per year on medical care and fail to address well known disparities and social drivers.

substack.com/@robcaliff27...

Why Don’t We Fix Informed Consent?

This essay, the first of a three-part series on informed consent, marks the second installment of a collection of posts devoted to specific issues in clinical research, with a focus on interventional ...

substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 15d

Another useful update from YLE. Includes a poll on future update on deep dive on menopause.

open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...

Infant formula botulism cluster, black box warning for HRT, flu is waking up, new blood pressure guidelines, and more

This is your weekly Dose.

open.substack.com

Reposted by Randall A. Kramer

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 16d

More good news for coffee enthusiasts from my specialty!

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Caffeinated Coffee Consumption or Abstinence to Reduce Atrial Fibrillation

This clinical trial compares the effect of caffeinated coffee consumption vs abstinence from coffee and caffeine on recurrent atrial fibrillation.

jamanetwork.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 16d

Nice description of the clinical science.

open.substack.com/pub/theunbia...

Vaccine Immunity vs. Infection Out in the Wild

What’s the real difference between immunity from vaccines and immunity from infection?

open.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 18d

Thoughts on medical interventions for long-term prevention.

open.substack.com/pub/robcalif...

Medicines for Primordial Prevention: Finding the Sweet Spot for a 21st Century Consensus

The 20th century and the first part of the 21st century have been marked by significant improvements in life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HLE), both globally and in the United States.

open.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 18d

YLE calling for action to promote science, public health and evidence based policy.

open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...

A good defense demands offense

And what it looks like

open.substack.com

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 20d

Brief explainer from Dr Nestle

www.foodpolitics.com/2025/11/wher...

Where are we on SNAP funding? - Food Politics by Marion Nestle

It's hard to keep up with the fate of SNAP benefits during the shutdown. The administration says it can't fund SNAP but courts say otherwise.

www.foodpolitics.com

Reposted by Robert M. Califf

JAMA @jama.com · 20d

The JAMA Summit on Firearm Violence gathered experts from medicine, policy, engineering, and community groups to develop a plan for reducing firearm harms by 2040.

Learn more in this Special Communication: ja.ma/43hclqa

JAMA report cover: "Toward a Safer World by 2040: The JAMA Summit Report on Reducing Firearm Violence and Harms." An illustration shows a city map shaped like a handgun. Published online November 3, 2025.

Robert Califf @robcaliff.bsky.social · 21d

Back to Pasteur. Raw milk is not our largest public health issue, but the purported benefits are hypothetical and not empirically proven and the risks are basic.

open.substack.com/pub/pauloffi...

See No Evil

Why did RFK Jr. limit the reporting of certain foodborne illnesses?

open.substack.com

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