HJAR May/Jun 2026

30 MAY / JUN 2026  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Changes to U.S. Vaccine Advisory System A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked major changes to the nation’s vaccine advisory system and childhood immunization schedule while a legal challenge to the policy moves forward. The ruling preserves the existing federal vaccine advisory framework while the court reviews the legality of the policy changes. In a ruling issued March 16, 2026, U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted a preliminary injunction in part in the case American Academy of Pediatrics et al. v. Kennedy. The court’s order can be viewed here: https://litigationtracker.law.georgetown . edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/American- Academy-of-Pediatrics_2026.03.16_ORDER-ON- MOTION-FOR-PRELIMINARY-INJUNCTION.pdf The lawsuit was filed by several national medi- cal organizations challenging actions taken by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The plaintiffs argue the federal government violated administrative law when it restructured the federal advisory committee that guides vaccine recommendations and revised the national childhood immunization schedule. In his ruling, Judge Murphy wrote that the plaintiffs demonstrated a likelihood of success on one of their central legal claims. “Plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that the reconstitution of ACIP and the January 2026 changes to the childhood immunization schedule violate the Administrative Procedure Act,” the order states. The Administrative Procedure Act governs how federal agencies develop and implement policy, including requirements for proper procedures when significant policy changes are made. The judge concluded that the government’s actions likely failed to comply with those procedural requirements. The court’s order also temporarily stays the appointments of 13 newly named members to the federal vaccine advisory committee that helps shape national vaccine policy. That committee — the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP — advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine recommendations. Judge Murphy’s order stays the appointments of the newly named committee members while the court considers whether the panel was reconstituted in violation of federal law. Because the court found the reconstituted committee likely violated legal requirements, the order also stays the effectiveness of votes taken by the reconstituted panel. Those votes included recommendations concerning influenza vaccines, hepatitis B vaccines, and COVID-19 vaccines. The ruling effectively restores the previous advisory framework while the legal challenge proceeds. The court also stayed a January 2026 memorandum that revised the federal childhood immunization schedule. According to the order, that memo revised the schedule of routinely recommended childhood vaccines and shifted several recommendations to a shared decision- making model between physicians and patients. The court concluded the changes were likely implemented without following the procedural steps required under federal law. Judge Murphy wrote that the government’s approach bypassed the established advisory process. The judge also noted that Congress required the involvement of the advisory committee in the development of immunization schedules. The lawsuit was filed by several national physician and public health organizations, including: • American Academy of Pediatrics • American College of Physicians • American Public Health Association • Infectious Diseases Society of America The organizations argue that the federal gov- ernment disrupted the longstanding scientific review process used to develop vaccine recom- mendations in the United States. The preliminary injunction does not represent a final ruling on the merits of the case. Instead, it temporarily pauses the policy changes and restores the prior advisory framework while the court reviews whether the federal government followed the procedures required under federal law when altering vaccine policy. Further proceedings will determine whether the challenged actions ultimately comply with the Administrative Procedure Act and other statutes governing how federal public health guidance is developed. UAMS Researcher Receives Grant to Study Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease Yunmeng Liu, PhD, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at UAMS, has received a multimillion-dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Liu’s laboratory will investigate how metabolic abnormalities of immune cells during diabetes contribute to the development of high blood pressure and damage the heart and kidneys. She plans to understand why diabetes promotes cardiovascular disease and renal injury, which often occur as comorbidities in diabetic patients. The long-term goal of her project is to identify innovative therapeutic strategies that target immune-metabolic pathways to prevent or treat both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The five-year grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases, which is part of the NIH, provides about $3.6 million in total funding to support Liu’s research program NYITCOMat A-StateMedical Students CelebrateMatch Day Ninety-six New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University student doctors participated in this year’s Match Day, with an initial match rate of 95% and a total placement rate of 97%. The Class of 2026 is the seventh class for NYITCOM’s Arkansas campus, which opened in 2016 through a private-public partnership with Arkansas State University. UAMS College of Medicine Applauds Seniors Heading to Residencies During this year’s Match Day, 99% of UAMS seniors who participated in the National Resident Matching Program found a match, as did every UAMS senior whose specialty led them to participate in an earlier match program. Seventy-four (45%) UAMS seniors matched