NIH Board Chair Jack Leslie Warns New Vaccine Clinic Risks Hospital Reputation

Jack Leslie, the chair of the board overseeing the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Research Hospital, warned colleagues on October 23 that the new vaccine injury clinic could damage the institution's reputation. Speaking at a regularly scheduled meeting, Leslie dedicated approximately six minutes to a direct critique of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He argued that Kennedy's public activities in the anti-vaccine space risk tarnishing a hospital widely known as a "house of hope" for patients with rare conditions and those who have exhausted other treatment options.

The criticism centered on Kennedy's surprise appearance at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the clinic. During the event, Kennedy sat with a panel of individuals who stated they were hurt by vaccines. These participants sat behind signs reading "vaccine injured" while speaking with Kennedy and other senior Trump administration officials. Leslie noted that while some might prefer he remain quiet, silence would be a failure of the advisory board's duty. "But I think that that would be a failing as an advisory board if we were silent," Leslie said.

Leslie clarified that his objection was not to the scientific study of vaccine harms. He stated that serious reactions are rare but real and that patients who believe they have been injured should be taken seriously. The distinction was important because the NIH already maintains a center dedicated to studying vaccine injuries. The new clinic established by Kennedy does not come with additional funding or extra physical space within the hospital.

Jonathan Green, the hospital's chief executive officer, sat next to Leslie during the meeting and supported his account. Green noted that the NIH has researched vaccine safety and efficacy for decades and that this work continues. He described the new clinic as a single individual protocol added to the existing research portfolio rather than a major structural change. Green's comments framed the clinic as a modest addition to ongoing work, contrasting with the high-profile nature of its launch.

The remarks from the board chair and the hospital CEO highlighted a gap between the public ceremony and the clinic's operational reality. Leslie focused on the reputational risk to a hospital serving some of the most vulnerable patients, while Green emphasized the modest scope of the new initiative. The board meeting concluded without new funding being attached to the clinic or any changes to the hospital's existing research structure.