Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, resigned on June 3 from her role as co-leader of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) working group focused on COVID-19 vaccines, according to two sources familiar with the matter. She is also leaving the agency entirely. In an email to colleagues, Panagiotakopoulos cited her belief that she could no longer effectively serve the nation’s most vulnerable populations as the reason for her decision. Her role involved helping guide the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) by organizing and presenting information for expert review.

Her departure follows an announcement by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-standing vaccine skeptic, who stated that COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women were no longer part of the CDCs recommended immunization schedule—a change made without the usual process involving ACIP review and voting. The CDC currently lacks a permanent director. Two days after Kennedy’s announcement, the CDC updated its website to say that COVID-19 vaccines remain an option for children aged six months to 17 years if parents and doctors agree they are necessary. Previously, the CDC broadly recommended updated COVID vaccines for everyone six months and older, based on ACIPs guidance.

Panagiotakopoulos did not specify detailed reasons for her resignation in her email and did not respond to requests for comment. She described her decision as personal, emphasizing that her career had always been about protecting the most vulnerable—something she felt she could no longer do in her current position. An HHS spokesperson confirmed that her resignation was a personal choice and would not impact the government’s broader public health mission.

The ACIP is still scheduled to meet from June 25 to 27 to vote on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. At the committee’s last meeting in April, Panagiotakopoulos had presented data on Modernas vaccine and possible strategies for the 2025–26 vaccination season, including whether to maintain broad use or limit it to specific populations. Sources say the working group was leaning toward narrowing vaccine use but would still likely recommend broader coverage for high-risk groups like young children and pregnant women. Despite recent unexpected changes to the CDC’s immunization schedule, the working group continues to meet and plans to present its recommendations to the full ACIP panel later this month.

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