Physicians News Digest

By Renuka Rayasam BALTIMORE — David Fitzgerald knows how tough it is to prevent gun violence. In 15 years working in some of Baltimore’s deadliest neighborhoods for a program called Safe Streets, he said, he’s defused hundreds of fights that could have led to a shooting. The effort, part of Baltimore’s more than $100 million gun violence prevention plan, relies on staffers like Fitzgerald to build trust with people at risk of such violence and offer them resources like housing or food.

The decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to downgrade its recommendations to protect infants from hepatitis B is a dangerous move that will harm children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. “This irresponsible and purposely misleading guidance will lead to more hepatitis B infections in infants and children,” said American Academy of Pediatrics President Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP.

By Dr. Joseph Volpicelli,  M.D., Ph.D. Early in my medical training, I worked with a Vietnam veteran whose struggle really changed how I thought about alcohol dependence. During his service, he used opiates to deal with the constant stress of war. When he got home, alcohol became what helped him manage the intrusive memories he couldn’t shake. One day on rounds, I presented his case to the team of attending physicians, residents, and other medical students.

The American College of Physicians (ACP) issued new influenza vaccine practice points that say everyone ages 18 to 64 years who are not pregnant or immunocompromised should receive either a standard-dose trivalent or a standard-dose quadrivalent (cell-based, egg-based, MF59-adjuvanted, or recombinant) influenza vaccine for the 2025-2026 influenza season.

By Madison Czopek, PolitiFact Obstetricians have long advised their pregnant patients that Tylenol is the safest option to reduce fever or pain. President Donald Trump stood before a national audience on Sept. 22 and contradicted that. “Don’t take Tylenol,” Trump said during an hourlong White House press conference that included his leading health appointees. “There’s no downside. Don’t take it. You’ll be uncomfortable. It won’t be as easy, maybe, but don’t take it.

By Madison Czopek, PolitiFact It makes sense to approach some marketing efforts with skepticism. Scams, deepfakes, and deceptive social media posts are common, with people you don’t know seeking to profit from your behavior. But should people extend this same skepticism to pediatricians who advise vaccines for children? Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said financial bonuses are driving such recommendations.

By Brad Broker Physicians and medical professionals almost universally agree that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is a quack. His appointment to the position was done entirely to serve the ego of a spiteful president who cares more about being praised than about the health of the country. Now that RFK, Jr., is seven months into his tenure, his dangerous conspiracy theories are becoming standard practice in government policy.

By Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics The Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Skrmetti will have profound and far-reaching consequences for the health and well-being of transgender youth across this country and for the doctors who care for them. To be clear—regardless of the legal ruling—the science still supports gender-affirming care, children will still need it. Nothing in this decision explicitly bans such care.

By Rosemary Westwood, WWNO When the news broke on Jan. 31 that a New York physician had been indicted for shipping abortion medications to a woman in Louisiana, it stoked fear across the network of doctors and medical clinics who engage in similar work. “It’s scary. It’s frustrating,” said Angel Foster, co-founder of the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project, a clinic near Boston that mails mifepristone and misoprostol pills to patients in states with abortion bans.

By Jin Hyung Lee, PhD For centuries, the human brain has remained one of science’s most enigmatic frontiers—but today, a growing global effort is rapidly advancing our understanding, and the implications reach far beyond the field of medicine. As new discoveries emerge, brain science is poised to become a key driver of the next great era of innovation: the 5th Industrial Revolution. This new era won’t be defined solely by machines or automation.