The CDC Is Taking Nominations for Its Vaccine Advisory Committee. Applications Are Due Dec. 31.
An Oct. 30 notice seeks nominees for ACIP, which has up to 19 seats and has not met in 2026. Thirteen appointees remain blocked by a court order on appeal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is accepting nominations for its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) through Dec. 31, 2026, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Oct. 30.
The call comes while the committee is not meeting. ACIP's meetings page lists its March, June and October 2026 sessions as cancelled "due to ongoing litigation," and the next listed dates are Feb. 24 to 26, 2027. For physicians who have considered serving, the notice spells out what to send and how members are chosen.
What does ACIP do, and who can serve?
ACIP advises the CDC director on the use of vaccines, and federal law requires it to set and revise the list of vaccines given through the Vaccines for Children program, including dosing intervals and contraindications. The notice says the committee "consists of up to 19 experts" representing "a balanced range of scientific, clinical, and public health expertise," including at least one person knowledgeable about consumer perspectives or the social and community aspects of immunization programs.
Full-time federal employees are not eligible. U.S. citizens get preference, and nominations of noncitizens are handled case by case. Members serve as special government employees for terms of up to four years and must file financial disclosure reports when they start and every year after. Earlier service on a federal advisory committee does not disqualify a candidate, though HHS policy is to avoid "excessive individual service on advisory committees and multiple committee memberships."
How do you apply?
By email to ACIP@cdc.gov with the subject line "ACIP Nomination Application." The package needs three things: the nomination form on the CDC's membership page, a current CV listing education, training, board certification and career history, and at least one letter of recommendation from someone not employed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Candidates may nominate themselves, or a person or organization may nominate them. The CDC reviews candidates and sends a slate to the HHS secretary, who makes the final selection. Nominations received after Dec. 31 will not be considered for this cycle.
A nomination window is not a meeting date. Who may sit on this committee is still before a federal appeals court.
Where does the court case stand?
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 ACIP members last year and replaced them. On March 16, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy found that the appointments did not comply with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, blocked 13 appointees from serving and set aside votes the reconstituted committee had taken, Reuters reported. The administration appealed only the block on the appointees. At argument before the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Oct. 6, a Justice Department lawyer said the order kept the committee from meeting because new appointments could also be blocked, according to Reuters. The Script Pad found no reported decision as of Oct. 30. Our earlier report explains which recommendations stay in force while the committee is idle.
What it means for physicians
The Script Pad's comparison with the FDA's own call for advisers, which opened Sept. 30: both seek clinicians with relevant expertise, both offer terms of up to four years and both accept self-nominations. The FDA takes nominations on a continuing basis, with Nov. 30 as the date for first consideration of voting seats. ACIP has a firm Dec. 31 cutoff for this cycle, requires a recommendation letter from outside HHS and leaves the final pick to the secretary from a CDC slate. Our guide to the FDA's recruitment covers that process.
For practices, the notice changes nothing about current vaccine recommendations. Until the appeals court rules and a committee with a quorum meets, there is no ACIP vote that could revise the schedules in use this respiratory season. Physicians who want to serve should start on the CV and the outside letter now. Practices that depend on the Vaccines for Children list should watch the 1st Circuit docket and the CDC meetings page, not the nomination calendar.
Reported, fact-checked and edited by The Script Pad's editorial staff. See How we use AI.
This article is for professional education and does not replace clinical judgment. Treatment decisions should be based on the individual patient and current guidelines.
