Collins Leaves Big Shoes to Fill at NIH
Francis Collins announced plans to retire from his role as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on October 5. This is a big deal for the Biden administration, as this leaves another crucial leadership position vacant, as the administration still has not nominated a Commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Brief background: The Staunton, Virginia […]
What Employers Need to Know About the New Vaccine Mandate
The White House says it’s time for the unvaccinated to roll up their sleeves. To help boost vaccination rates as the Delta variant continues to take its destructive toll across the nation, President Biden laid out a new COVID-19 action plan with some new requirements for private businesses. How it works: The Biden administration is directing the Occupational […]
What Happened, What You Missed: September 20-24
Walensky Overrides CDC Advisory Panel, Approves Booster Doses for At-Risk Workers Late Thursday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky took the unusual step of overriding a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on whether adults aged 18-64 with frequent exposure to the virus should receive a COVID-19 booster shot. […]
How a New HHS Office Wants to Tackle Climate Change…and Public Health
The Biden administration means business on climate change. As its latest climate-friendly move, the administration formed the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) on August 30. What does this new office mean in the fight against rising global temperatures? About OCCHE The mission of OCCHE is to advocate for environmental justice and equitable health outcomes and […]
What Happened, What You Missed: September 6-10
Biden Announces Sweeping Vaccination Mandate for Health Care Workers On September 9, President Joe Biden announced plans to mandate vaccinations for all health care workers at facilities that receive federal funding. The announcement was a major component of a six-part planned aimed at addressing a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases. The vaccination mandate for health […]
What Does Health Care Rulemaking Look Like This Year?
Even Congress tries to complete $4.5T in domestic policy changes plus appropriations in the next 3 months, the Biden Administration is cranking away on health care rulemaking. Here’s a quick overview of some key rules on the horizon from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Go deeper: Refresh your memory on OMB and […]
What Happened, What You Missed: August 30-September 3
CDC Advisory Committee Takes More Cautious Approach on Boosters Members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) agreed in an August 30 meeting that booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines should be prioritized for residents of long-term care facilities, followed by front-line health care workers. While the advisory […]
What Happened to the Cancer Moonshot?
In his final State of the Union address in January 2016, then-President Barack Obama asked then-Vice President Joe Biden to lead the Cancer Moonshot initiative, a new national effort to accelerate research in cancer treatment. Over the past five years, however, attention on the Cancer Moonshot has seemingly waned to the point that it barely pops up in the […]
What Happened, What You Missed: August 16-20
Biden Administration Preparing to Make Booster Shots Available in September On August 18, President Joe Biden announced his administration is preparing to offer a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines by the week of September 20. The administration wants the additional doses to function as a “booster shot” after new data has indicated that […]
ARPA-H, the Proposed Agency to Transform Biomedical Research
The internet. GPS. The computer mouse. These are some of the technological innovations made possible by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a Defense Department agency tasked with advancing research and development of science and technology programs. Now, the Biden administration wants to replicate DARPA’s success in biomedical research with a newly proposed entity called Advanced […]