ASPPH is proud to unveil Healthy Longevity: Public Health’s Next Frontier – A Framework for Research, Education, Practice, and Policy, developed by the ASPPH Healthy Longevity Task Force. This transformative framework redefines the public health approach to aging by shifting the focus from simply extending lifespan to expanding healthspan, the years lived in good health, with function, purpose, and engagement. The framework examines four primary domains of Research, Education & Training, Practice, and Policy & Advocacy and offers strategic, evidence-based recommendations to guide schools and programs of public health, ASPPH, and our partners in advancing equitable, community-based approaches to healthy aging.

A Call to Action:

• Engage and Apply: ASPPH, its member institutions, and partners are urged to embed healthy longevity into their missions by adopting the framework’s recommendations and leading efforts to transform public health systems that better serve aging populations.
• Advance Policy Solutions: The framework includes actionable policy recommendations to strengthen public health infrastructure, invest in prevention across the life course, promote age-friendly policies, and ensure that older adults are recognized as valuable contributors to society.
• Learn and Connect: Join us for our ASPPH Presents webinar on Wednesday, July 9, from 12:00–1:00 PM ET, featuring a panel of experts discussing the framework’s insights, strategies, and its call to action for the future of public health.

With academic public health facing intensified political scrutiny and funding threats, ASPPH hosted a dynamic ASPPH Presents webinar on June 26 to empower members with tools for effective advocacy. Held alongside the 2025 ASPPH Sections Retreat, Advocacy in Action: Advancing Public Health in a Shifting Political Landscape brought together experts in policy, media, and strategic communication to help participants navigate today’s charged environment.
 
Strategies for Advocacy and Impact:

• Insights from the field: Moderator Tim Leshan, ASPPH Chief External Relations and Advocacy Officer, guided a conversation on how public health professionals can engage policymakers, communicate strategically, and build effective coalitions.
• Policy and media guidance: Mark Mioduski, Principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs, and Che Parker, Senior Vice President at Burness, shared practical advice on navigating the federal policy landscape and framing public health messages for maximum impact.

Telling the Story of Public Health:

• Storytelling as strategy: Panelists stressed the power of narrative in advocacy, urging academic institutions to use real-world stories to illustrate public health needs and influence decision-making at all levels.
• Raising awareness through data: ASPPH featured findings from Broken Lifelines, a report that outlines the economic and social impact of defunding academic public health, including the loss of jobs, reduced access to care, and disruptions to public health research and training.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the federal panel responsible for shaping US vaccine recommendations, met last week for the first time under Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership. After Kennedy removed most of the committee and appointed new members, several with a history of vaccine skepticism, the group’s opening votes marked a sharp break from past practice and raised concern among public health experts.

Key decision: 

• The committee voted to stop recommending flu vaccines that contain thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative Kennedy has publicly opposed for years. The CDC maintains that it is safe to use thimerosal, noting extensive studies have found no evidence of harm.
• Although thimerosal is used in only a small portion of flu vaccines, mostly multi-dose vials, the move is seen as symbolic and risky. Experts warn it could legitimize long-debunked claims and fuel global vaccine skepticism. With no CDC director in place yet, Kennedy himself is expected to endorse the recommendation.

What’s next:

• ACIP Chair Martin Kulldorff said the panel will re-evaluate long-standing childhood vaccine recommendations, including potentially advising against the Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella (MMRV) combination shot for kids under 4. That vaccine has been associated with a small risk of febrile seizures, typically mild, but is still widely recommended by the CDC.
• Dr. Cody Meissner, the lone pediatrician on the panel, pushed back on some unsupported claims but also supported removing COVID-19 vaccine guidance for pregnant women. He criticized professional groups for skipping the meeting, calling their absence “childish,” while others said the panel had drifted too far from evidence-based science.

At her Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing, Dr. Susan Monarez, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), offered a firm endorsement of vaccines and evidence-based public health. The hearing was historic, as it marked the first time a CDC director nominee has required Senate confirmation, following a 2023 law aimed at increasing oversight of the agency. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is rolling back US support for vaccine initiatives and has filled the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) with vaccine skeptics. The shift has raised alarm among public health experts. While Dr. Monarez voiced strong support for scientific rigor, she stopped short of directly challenging Kennedy’s most controversial decisions.

Addressing Vaccine Stance:

• Supports immunization: Dr. Monarez stated that “vaccines save lives” and should be promoted, a notable stance given current administration shifts.
• Stays neutral on RFK Jr.: She avoided directly opposing Kennedy’s actions, including ending support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and reviving vaccine-autism claims.

Senators Seek Answers:

• Lawmakers press on ACIP: Senators grilled Dr. Monarez on Kennedy’s overhaul of ACIP. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and others questioned whether she would defend evidence-based decision-making in vaccine recommendations.
• Democrats push back: Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) questioned whether Dr. Monarez could challenge Kennedy’s positions, noting her reluctance to disagree publicly. “Your being able to independently state in public that you differ with the secretary is a really, really important thing,” she said.

Senate Republicans are expected to move today toward a final vote on former President Trump’s sweeping tax and domestic policy bill. After clearing a key procedural hurdle over the weekend, the Senate is set to begin a marathon amendment session, known as a “vote-a-rama”, this morning, according to an internal scheduling update shared with offices on Sunday. The House, however, remains a major obstacle, as Republican divisions threaten to derail the bill’s path forward.



Senate Debate Nears the End:

• The Senate voted 51–49 late Saturday to begin formal debate on the nearly 1,000-page bill. Monday’s scheduled start for the vote-a-rama avoids an overnight kickoff and positions Republicans to potentially pass the bill as soon as late Monday or early Tuesday.
• Democrats focused their floor time on opposing Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts, while Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) prepared amendments to scale back those changes and restore higher tax rates for top earners.
   

House GOP Remains Divided:

• More than a dozen House Republicans, including Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), have stated they will not support the bill unless the Senate’s Medicaid provisions are brought in line with the House version.
• A last-minute deal in the Senate to reduce the federal share of Medicaid funding has further complicated negotiations with House moderates and raised concerns about final passage.

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