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David Higgins, MD, MPH

@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
2K followers 331 following 383 posts

Pediatrician | Public health specialist | Immunization delivery researcher | Dad | Views my own | Writing Community Immunity on Substack

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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The System was Always Fragile: what works? What doesn't? My opinion in discussion with @drhigginsmd.bsky.social. Also, this has a link to the full set of interviews, and I hope people look at them. communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-system...
communityimmunity.substack.com
The System was Always Fragile
The Next Era of Vaccine Governance with Dorit Reiss, Part 1
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What Would Actually Hold Up? How can we fix the public health system? interview with @drhigginsmd.bsky.social on Community Immunity substack. communityimmunity.substack.com/p/what-would...
communityimmunity.substack.com
What Would Actually Hold Up
The Next Era of Vaccine Governance with Dorit Reiss, Part 2
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-scienc...
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-scienc...
communityimmunity.substack.com
The Science is Sound. The Delivery Isn’t.
The Next Era of Vaccine Governance with Paul Offit
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"It wasn't the science, it was how we communicated it." I sat down with Dr. Paul Offit for my latest conversation in a series on the next era of vaccine governance. Read the full conversation at Community Immunity. #vaccines #trust
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Community Immunity this week: This is not your grandmother‘s measles. our current resurgence in the U.S. is not the same as past outbreaks and that changes how we respond. I also answer a question: If Kamala Harris were president right now, would we still be here? open.substack.com/pub/communit...
open.substack.com
This Is Not Your Grandmother's Measles
Why today's measles resurgence is different than prior ones and why that should change how we respond
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I’ll be leading TEC’s piece of this work. We can’t just recreate the past. But abandoning everything we’ve built is dangerous. Between those two truths is the soil for building something better. 🌱 @cidrap.bsky.social
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Excited to announce: The Evidence Collective (TEC) and the Vaccine Integrity Project at CIDRAP are launching complementary initiatives on how the U.S. makes vaccine recommendations.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Vaccine policy in the U.S. is at a pivotal moment and the conversation about what comes next can’t wait. www.cidrap.umn.edu/vaccine-inte...
cidrap.umn.edu
Vaccine Integrity Project, The Evidence Collective announce projects to improve vaccine policy, restore trust
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
open.substack.com/pub/communit...
open.substack.com
Trust Me, AI Recommend You Vaccinate Your Children
Why the hardest vaccine conversations should stay human
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
What if AI could have your difficult vaccine conversations for you? The moment you felt disagreement brewing, you could pass it off to the AI agent. Would you take that offer? I would not. Read my essay on why the hardest vaccine conversations should stay human. #communityimmunity #vaccines
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
open.substack.com/pub/communit...
open.substack.com
You Can Only Move at the Speed of Trust
The Next Era of Vaccine Governance with NYC Health Commissioner Alister Martin
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Public health cannot ask for trust before it has earned it. NYC health commissioner Dr. Alister Martin says we must earn it by solving the problems people have right now. Read more from my interview on the next era of vaccine governance @Community Immunity. 🔗 👇
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
New editorial in American Family Physician with @kkjetelina.bsky.social: the vaccine conversation no longer begins in the exam room. Physicians are at the end of a misinformation pipeline, and must move upstream. www.aafp.org/afp/2026/050... #Vaccines #PublicHealth @aafp.org
aafp.org
Beyond the Exam Room: Why Family Physicians Must Advocate for Evidence-Based Vaccine Policy
The vaccine conversation no longer begins in the examination room. Many parents come with fear and confusion that is shaped long before the visit by social media, political rhetoric, and, increasingly...
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
A hantavirus outbreak is under investigation after cases linked to an expedition cruise ship. This situation is evolving fast, and so is the coverage. Some of it is helpful, some not. I helped put together a rapid evidence brief with The Evidence Collective. open.substack.com/pub/evidence...
open.substack.com
Got hantavirus questions?
Here's a guide to help you stay informed and talk about it
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
New in Community Immunity👇 open.substack.com/pub/communit...
open.substack.com
Evidence Needs a Community to Give It Weight
On belonging, social capital, and the misinformation buffer we've lost
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
The anti-vaccine movement doesn’t sell alternative facts. It sells belonging. The tactics from 1896 and today are the same. What changed is the scale and erosion of communities that used to buffer it. It doesn’t matter how good our evidence is. People don’t adopt facts. They accept invitations
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
The science they tried to bury: a study on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, blocked from MMWR publication by CDC and HHS leadership, is now out in Inside Medicine. Read it here 👇 open.substack.com/pub/insideme...
open.substack.com
Exclusive: Here's the Covid-19 vaccine paper the CDC censored.
RFK Jr. and the CDC’s top official, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, don’t want you to read this. That’s exactly why you should.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Latest Community Immunity Substack piece out today! open.substack.com/pub/communit...
open.substack.com
Social Media Is Blaming this Rotavirus Season on Vaccine Hesitancy. That's Only Part of the Story.
Getting the diagnosis wrong means investing in the wrong solutions.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
When I was a child, I was hospitalized with rotavirus. There was no vaccine then. There is one now. Social media is blaming this rotavirus season on vaccine hesitancy. The truth is more complicated. This is a structural problem. Missing that means investing in the wrong solutions. 🔗 Link below👇
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
I joined BBC’s More or Less porcast to answer a question a lot of people are asking: have RFK Jr. and MAHA actually changed how Americans think about vaccines? The data have a more nuanced answer than most headlines suggest. It's worth 8 minutes of your time → bbc.com/audio/play/p...
bbc.com
BBC Audio | More or Less | Have RFK and MAHA really changed American views on vaccines?
Why a Politico headline overstated vaccine scepticism in the US
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
SCOOP: Two weeks ago, the head of the CDC delayed publication of a report showing covid vaccine cut likelihood of ER visits and hospitalizations by half. Now that report is no longer allowed to be published in CDC’s flagship scientific journal. My latest. 1/2 www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
CDC won’t publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visits
The report, which had cleared the agency’s scientific-review process, had been delayed. It now won’t be published at all, people familiar with the decision told The Post.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
George Washington mandated a relatively dangerous inoculation for his troops in 1777 because he knew disease undermined readiness. In 2026, a low-risk vaccine became optional for the U.S. military. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
nbcnews.com
Pete Hegseth says the U.S. military will no longer require flu shots
Vaccination programs in the U.S. military date back to the American Revolution, but they became a contentious political issue during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Gary Schwitzer @garyschw.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
How valid is Politico’s vaccine skepticism poll? @drhigginsmd.bsky.social delivers a helpful analysis. We may be in an era of poll pollution. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/questionin...
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Edward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Such an important piece from @drhigginsmd.bsky.social. I had similar conclusions when I looked at the Politico poll in question, but Dr. Higgins expressed it more eloquently than I ever could. Vaccine hesitancy is not mainstream and we should not present it as such.
statnews.com
Don’t believe headlines saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread
Despite some headlines, a new poll does not show that most Americans no longer trust vaccines.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Thanks for sharing!
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Don’t believe the headlines this week saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread. Here’s what the data actually shows in my piece in STAT today. www.statnews.com/2026/04/17/v... via @statnews.com
statnews.com
Don’t believe headlines saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread
Despite some headlines, a new poll does not show that most Americans no longer trust vaccines.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Should pediatric clinics dismiss families who refuse vaccines? I've come full circle on this. Read my article co-authored with Dr. Jess Steier and Dr. Elana Pearl Benjoseph
open.substack.com
"Looking for a Pediatrician Who Doesn’t Push Vaccines”
What vaccine-hesitant parents are told, what pediatricians are actually doing, and the legislation caught in between
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
The claim that pediatricians profit from vaccines has been amplified at the highest federal levels. The Unbiased Science Podcast spent 6 months investigating across all 50 states. Reality: many practices lose money on every dose. I co-hosted with Dr. Jess Steier. open.spotify.com/episode/5Z4o...
open.spotify.com
Pediatricians: Not About The Benjamins, Baby
Unbiased Science · Episode
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
The ruling is a legal win, for now. It is not a trust win. Those are different problems requiring different work. Full breakdown in this week’s Community Immunity open.substack.com/pub/communit...
open.substack.com
A Legal Win for Vaccines, and a Reality Check
The courts can restore order, but they cannot restore trust
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
The CDC website still shows Kennedy’s revised schedule today. An appeal is coming. Gaps remain — including how next year’s respiratory vaccine decisions get made without a lawful ACIP.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
A ruling can reinstate a schedule. It can’t un-ring a bell. Parents who watched guidance flip for a year aren’t suddenly reassured. The erosion of trust in federal vaccine guidance is not suddenly repaired by a court win.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
This week’s AAP v. Kennedy ruling is worth celebrating. A federal judge blocked the Kennedy vaccine schedule and sent a clear message: you cannot bypass scientific and legal process and expect it to stand.🧵
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
The most effective vaccine program in America doesn't require a new drug or breakthrough. It requires a form for school enrollment. And the reason it works might surprise you. Five questions with honest answers, written with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
open.substack.com
Top 5 questions about school vaccination requirements
The most effective vaccine program in American history doesn’t require a single new drug, clinical trial, or breakthrough.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
open.substack.com
The Roundup
Vaccine governance, school requirements, clinic dismissal policies, an ACIP prebunk, and the myth that pediatricians profit off vaccines
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
New in Community Immunity: The Roundup. Five things: new series on vaccine governance, school vaccine requirements, vaccine dismissal policies, ACIP prebunk, and the myth that won't die. Link below 👇 #vaccines #community #publichealth
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Parents’ vaccine decisions are rarely just about evidence. They’re shaped by fear, identity, experience, and love. A beautiful @nytimes.com piece by my colleague captures that complexity with real empathy. This is a must-read! www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | I’m an Immunologist. I Grew Up Unvaccinated.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Read here: open.substack.com/pub/communit...
open.substack.com
The Next Era of Vaccine Governance
The way things were isn’t the way things can be anymore
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
New essay out in Community Immunity. It begins with a simple thought experiment: what if future leaders attempt to restore vaccine policy structures overnight? Would that rebuild trust — or deepen polarization? The way things were isn’t the way things can be anymore. #PublicHealth #Vaccines
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
In an information environment that feels chaotic, that steady guidance matters more than ever. More here: open.substack.com/pub/communit...
open.substack.com
The AAP releases its 2026 immunization schedule. Now comes the harder part.
The AAP’s 2026 immunization schedule is out. What comes next is harder: helping families navigate confusion and conflicting guidance with trust and clarity.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
When it comes to vaccines, what parents want has not changed. They want clear recommendations and honest explanations. They want reassurance that the advice they receive is grounded in their child’s best interest. And they want a trusted expert to help them navigate the noise.
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Tina Studts, PhD, MSW, MSPH @tstudts.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Applications accepted until 2/15 for Fall 2026! App instructions and other info here: tinyurl.com/5bps2c8j @borsikarabin.bsky.social, @bmkwan.bsky.social, @monica-p-jolles.bsky.social, @drhigginsmd.bsky.social, @dramyhuebschmann.bsky.social, @russgl.bsky.social @cctsi.bsky.social #DIScience #ImpSci
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Read more and see the data here: www.kff.org/health-infor... #PublicHealth #Vaccines #HealthPolicy @kff.org
kff.org
Poll: Trust and Confidence in the CDC Remain at Low Point After Changes to Recommended Childhood Vaccines; More Say the Changes Will Hurt than Help Children’s Health | KFF
In the weeks after the Trump administration reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines for routine use, the public’s trust in the CDC remains at its lowest point. Among those who have heard ...
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Who do parents trust? Their child’s pediatrician. More than any federal agency, political figure, or influencer. Policy should strengthen that trusted relationship, not undermine it.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
You don’t rebuild trust with sudden, unjustified changes to evidence-based guidance. You rebuild it through consistency, transparency, and credible scientific processes. The predictable result of this approach is fewer children vaccinated and more preventable harm. It really is that simple.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
This year, trust in CDC vaccine guidance has fallen sharply to its lowest point in years. People who have heard of recent changes to the childhood vaccination schedule are twice as likely to say the changes will have a negative impact on kids than a positive one.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
New KFF data show trust in the CDC as a source of reliable vaccine information is now at a historic low following a recent overhaul to childhood vaccine recommendations. That matters because federal health leaders have explicitly justified their policy changes as necessary to restore public trust.🧵
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Our article is out today in @statnews.com. Do pediatricians get rich from vaccines? We followed the money. Short answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT. This dangerously misleading claim just won’t die. www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/p...
statnews.com
Do pediatricians make large profits from vaccines?
Vaccine critics like to say that pediatricians profit from vaccines. This report found something very different.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
I discussed this on the @sciencevs.bsky.social podcast here: open.spotify.com/episode/1hjh...
open.spotify.com
Vaccines: Does Europe Do Them Better?
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Preventing more diseases is a success, not a failure. This shouldn’t be controversial. open.substack.com/pub/communit... #Vaccines ##PreventDisease
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