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Senate Scrutinizes Trump Nominee Saphier’s Vaccine and Conflicts

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 11:23 PM UTC · How we work

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Personal Responsibility Emphasis

U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee Dr. Nicole Saphier appeared before the Senate health committee on September 16, 2026 for a surgeon-general confirmation hearing.
Public-health advocacy groups argue her emphasis on personal responsibility and wellness products makes her unsuitable for the nation’s top public-health position.
She testified she has not seen reputable evidence linking vaccines to autism.
Saphier supported universal hepatitis B birth vaccination, a CDC recommendation the administration seeks to roll back.

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Vaccine Safety Advocacy

U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee Dr. Nicole Saphier testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on September 16, 2026.
During the hearing, she publicly challenged HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s autism policies.
Saphier, a radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s New Jersey branch, founded a supplement company.
She affirmed the MMR vaccine’s safety and called hepatitis B birth dosing a proven cancer-prevention measure.

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure

U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee Dr. Nicole Saphier testified before the Senate health committee on September 16, 2026, for a surgeon-general confirmation hearing.
The hearing highlighted scrutiny of Saphier’s vaccine stances and disclosed extensive personal-stock holdings, raising conflict-of-interest concerns.
Saphier, a radiologist directing imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, previously contributed to Fox News.
The filing lists investments in Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Monster and Philip Morris, a DropRx resignation if confirmed.

History

Historical Context

The 1998 Lancet paper by Andrew Wakefield, based on twelve children, falsely linked MMR to autism and triggered a fall in UK MMR uptake (from 92% in 1996 to 84% by 2002) and renewed US exemption requests. Decades later, on 16 September 2026, President Trump’s nominee Dr. Nicole Saphier faced Senate questions on vaccine safety, echoing Wakefield’s legacy as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promotes autism policies.

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Personal Responsibility Emphasis

U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee Dr. Nicole Saphier appeared before the Senate health committee on September 16, 2026 for a surgeon-general confirmation hearing.
Public-health advocacy groups argue her emphasis on personal responsibility and wellness products makes her unsuitable for the nation’s top public-health position.
She testified she has not seen reputable evidence linking vaccines to autism.
Saphier supported universal hepatitis B birth vaccination, a CDC recommendation the administration seeks to roll back.

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