Professor Retsef Levi, MIT Expert in Analytics, Risk Management, Health Systems, Food & Agriculture Systems, Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management
Joined January 2023
- Tweets 2,757
- Following 1,768
- Followers 41,299
- Likes 579
394 Photos and videos
Retsef Levi retweeted
đĽCDC commits $735 million to Covid vaccines for children
But the purchase is raising questions about whether the government had legal authority to make the commitment to @pfizer
LINK: blog.maryannedemasi.com/p/cdâŚ
@SecKennedy @NIHDirector_Jay
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Excited to share our study by @keylas3 et al. on pathological autoantibodies in people with Long COVID. We asked whether IgG in patients with Long COVID bind to human tissues/antigens and cause pathologies when transferred into mice. With @PutrinoLab
doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2026.âŚ
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Retsef Levi retweeted
May 26
In the public polling the White House has cited in moving away from policies that inflame Pfizer and other vaccine makers, Fabrizioâs firm seems to tilt the scales by asking voters about âestablishedâ and âlongstandingâ vaccine policies.
In the unreleased polling, voters were overwhelmingly against legal immunity for vaccine makers. 7/10 voters want more research on the cumulative effects of the childhood vaccination schedule.
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Retsef Levi retweeted
May 26
EXCLUSIVE: As Robert F. Kennedy has pivoted away from vaccines, the White House has pointed to findings by Trump's pollster Tony Fabrizio showing itâs not a winning political issue.
But I obtained unreleased polling by Fabrizio showing the opposite.
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Retsef Levi retweeted
I wrote this piece to promote thoughtful, respectful, and rational engagement with controversial science topics. I hope it fosters constructive dialogue in the scientific communityâthank you for reading and sharing đđź @NatRevImmunol
nature.com/articles/s41577-0âŚ
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Thank you Akiko!!!
@VirusesImmunity
Yale Prof. Akiko Iwasaki writing in Nature:
"Our inability to remain open and engage in rational discussions about controversial subjects may be eroding public trust in science."
"I remember a colleague whose daughter developed a life-threatening autoimmune encephalitis after receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. I watched her struggle with obstacles in even asking whether her daughterâs illness might be linked to the vaccine. These questions are not only unwelcome in the field but also could jeopardize oneâs career and credibility."
"The pressure to stay within the consensus view is at an all-time high, for fear of reputational damage, funding exclusion and lack of career promotion, which is amplified at a massive scale on social media. However, there are broader epistemic consequences to staying within the consensus and suppressing alternative viewpoints, which could undermine trust and progress in science."
"scientists are unable to freely inquire about the risk of [post-vaccine syndrome] without being labelled as âanti-vaxxersâ."
"True scientific progress depends on a culture that
protects dissent"
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Yale Prof. Akiko Iwasaki writing in Nature:
"Our inability to remain open and engage in rational discussions about controversial subjects may be eroding public trust in science."
"I remember a colleague whose daughter developed a life-threatening autoimmune encephalitis after receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. I watched her struggle with obstacles in even asking whether her daughterâs illness might be linked to the vaccine. These questions are not only unwelcome in the field but also could jeopardize oneâs career and credibility."
"The pressure to stay within the consensus view is at an all-time high, for fear of reputational damage, funding exclusion and lack of career promotion, which is amplified at a massive scale on social media. However, there are broader epistemic consequences to staying within the consensus and suppressing alternative viewpoints, which could undermine trust and progress in science."
"scientists are unable to freely inquire about the risk of [post-vaccine syndrome] without being labelled as âanti-vaxxersâ."
"True scientific progress depends on a culture that
protects dissent"
Mar 19
For people who still somehow deny that there is an extreme pro-vaccine bias in the scientific literature:
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Retsef Levi retweeted
âWhoâs really in charge of public health?
A new report examines how governments lost control over public health decisionsâand what it means for the next crisis.
I speak with Prof Ramesh Thakur for @RCR_NZ.
âWe witnessed the biggest expansion of state powerâand in some cases, abuse of state powerâaround Covid,â Thakur said.
blog.maryannedemasi.com/p/whâŚ
@brownstoneinst @jeffreytucker @bell00david
@Jikkyleaks @newstart_2024
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May 1
Important work led by @FogelSylvia !
Apr 30
Iâve come across one or two claims on social media suggesting that the April 28 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) meeting was not fully compliant with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
Because of the seriousness of that allegation, it is important to be clear: these claims are misinformed and not supported by the governing statute or regulations. đ§ľ
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Apr 30
Iâve come across one or two claims on social media suggesting that the April 28 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) meeting was not fully compliant with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
Because of the seriousness of that allegation, it is important to be clear: these claims are misinformed and not supported by the governing statute or regulations. đ§ľ
Apr 29
Yesterday, the IACC took meaningful steps to address urgent gaps in care, safety, and recognition for the autism community. The Committee voted to recommend that HHS:
⢠Improve medical care and reduce diagnostic overshadowing
⢠Recognize those with the highest support needs through the term âprofound autismâ
⢠Address the life-threatening risks of wandering and elopement
This is an important step forward in addressing critical gaps in care, safety, and recognition. More information can be found on the IACC website. đ§ľ
reuters.com/legal/litigationâŚ
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Apr 29
Yesterday, the IACC took meaningful steps to address urgent gaps in care, safety, and recognition for the autism community. The Committee voted to recommend that HHS:
⢠Improve medical care and reduce diagnostic overshadowing
⢠Recognize those with the highest support needs through the term âprofound autismâ
⢠Address the life-threatening risks of wandering and elopement
This is an important step forward in addressing critical gaps in care, safety, and recognition. More information can be found on the IACC website. đ§ľ
reuters.com/legal/litigationâŚ
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Retsef Levi retweeted
đŚBhattacharya accused of blocking CDC study â but flawed methods escape scrutiny
A row over a âblockedâ CDC study has centred on censorship rather than the studyâs flawed methods or the journal it was headed for. blog.maryannedemasi.com/p/bhâŚ
@SecKennedy @NIHDirector_Jay @AndrewNixonHHS @SusieWiles47 @nicksortor @newstart_2024 @CollinRugg @elonmusk @Kevin_McKernan
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Published exclusively on @jeremyfaust's Inside Medicine, it reports a ~50% âŹď¸ in COVID-related urgent care visits & hospitalisations. But is the study itself reliable? The short answer is no.
Just because a method is repeatedly used, it doesn't make it reliable. Junk science is still junk science.
blog.maryannedemasi.com/p/bhâŚ
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Former ACIP member @RetsefL warned the @CDCgov of the pitfalls of "test-negative design" saying the method was âprone to many biases.â
At best, he said, it provides an indication of effectiveness under highly controlled conditions âthat are often far away from reality,â and highlighted alternative approaches for more reliable assessment of vaccine efficacy.
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Retsef Levi retweeted
The CDC ignored @RetsefL's warnings & 3mos later, published a paediatric study using the same weak method (see story)
blog.maryannedemasi.com/p/asâŚ
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Apr 24
đŚđş "None of them took away any access to any vaccine whatsoever." - Retsef Levi, Risk & Public Health Policy Expert đŚđş
Are changes in recommendations being misunderstood as restrictions?
New Australia-based RCR host Maryanne Demasi @MaryanneDemasi talks with Retsef Levi @RetsefL about the upheaval inside the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, including cancelled meetings, a halted membership, and behind-the-scenes tensions over COVID-19 vaccine policy.
đĽ Watch here: rcr.media/episodes/retsef-leâŚ
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Apr 22
Someone inside Kaiser sent me the below internal guidance concerning shots and medications for newborns.
It tells Kaiser employees that the "approach to how we introduce and administer routine newborn ... Hepatitis B vaccine" is to " avoid saying âitâs optionalâ or âyou can refuseâ unless directly askedâ and to tell parents that "we will be giving" instead of asking consent to give. This is the antithesis of informed consent. Yet Kaiser calls it âexcellent patient and family care.â
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Retsef Levi retweeted
đď¸Retsef Levi reveals what unfolded inside ACIP before it was brought to a halt
An insider account of internal tensions, contested decisions, and the questions that were never resolved.
LINK đđ@RetsefL
@RCR_NZ @jeffreytucker @NIHDirector_Jay @AaronSiriSG @SaiKate108 @newstart_2024 @Kevin_McKernan @BrianneDressen
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Retsef Levi retweeted
đď¸Retsef Levi reveals what unfolded inside ACIP before it was brought to a halt
An insider account of internal tensions, contested decisions, and the questions that were never resolved. blog.maryannedemasi.com/p/re⌠@RetsefL
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Retsef Levi retweeted
Apr 11
A portion of the ACIP 2026 Charter
âCommittee deliberations on use of vaccines to control disease in the U.S. shall include consideration of disease epidemiology and burden of disease, vaccine risks and benefits, vaccine efficacy and effectiveness, the quality of evidence reviewed, economic analyses, and
implementation issues. The Committee may revise or withdraw their recommendation(s) regarding a particular vaccine as new information on disease epidemiology, vaccine effectiveness or safety, economic considerations, or other data become available.â
@Honest_Medicine @DowdEdward @DrKatLindley @Fynnderella1
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