# NIH board chair warns vaccine injury clinic risks hospital’s impartial reputation

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/rfk-jr-s-vaccine-injury-clinic-could-damage-nih-hospital-board-warns/
- Published: 2026-10-23T16:58:39+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:48:29+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/10/rfk-jr-s-vaccine-injury-clinic-could-damage-nih-hospital-board-warns/
- Topics: Health, Medicine

## Key points

- NIH board chair says clinic launch risks damaging trust in the hospital.
- The protocol is still under review and uses an existing centre.
- Board members unanimously backed the chair’s remarks.

## Summary

The chair of the board overseeing the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical Center warned that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s vaccine injury clinic could undermine public confidence in the hospital. He criticised the clinic’s launch ceremony, arguing that signs describing participants as “vaccine injured” suggested a conclusion before the research had been completed.

The hospital’s chief executive said the NIH has studied vaccine safety for decades and that Kennedy’s clinic is a new research protocol using an existing centre, with no additional funding or space. The protocol remains under scientific and ethical review. The board unanimously endorsed the chair’s statement, which said the hospital’s reputation depends on research being seen as impartial.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.