By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

August 12, 2026

TheHill.com

Last month’s vote by a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel to ease peptide accessibility restrictions has sparked debate over the safety of this unproven class of therapeutics.

To be clear, the issue isn’t whether peptides could be useful tools to promote human health. The concern is that the integrity of the FDA advisory panel’s recommendation was undermined — it appeared to be both economically and politically driven. …

Individuals with conflicts of interest were chosen to serve on the FDA panel. Was this done to help advance the personal convictions of the leading health official in the country — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.? If so, the panel’s vote flouted science in favor of profits and politics.

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

July 12, 2026

TheHill.com

Today’s life expectancy is due in no small measure to sustained U.S. governmental support for critical vaccine research and humanitarian aid. These efforts have halted the spread of serious disease and saved millions of lives here at home and around the world.  

For decades, the U.S. government provided critical federal funding to the medical and public health community. This commitment is now waning, putting the health of the American people at risk and jeopardizing our ability to pioneer future medical breakthroughs.  

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

June 16, 2026

TheHill.com

Ebola, one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, is spreading rapidly throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It now also threatens South Sudan. As nations scramble to stop the outbreak, one fact has become increasingly clear: The international community can no longer count on the U.S. to lead the response to these alarming global public health emergencies.

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

May 12, 2026

TheHill.com

Spring drought levels are at record highs across the country, and experts worry that the destruction from this year’s wildfire season could be some of the worst our nation has ever seen.  

The country is a tinder box — and if predictions are correct, as many as 8 million acres are at risk. Will lawmakers take action to protect the safety of our forests, our homes and the American people? We’ll soon know. 

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

April 11, 2026

TheHill.com

Online sports gambling is a growing public health threat that demands attention. It is heading in a dangerous direction, and if Congress fails to act, more and more young people will be at higher risk of getting in way over their heads. Those are odds lawmakers can’t ignore.  

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

March 18, 2026

TheHill.com

Congress is currently trying to pass a long-overdue farm bill as lawmakers debate where, and how, billions in taxpayer resources should be allocated.  

Sadly, those involved in shaping the current legislation seem to be more interested in protecting special interests than advancing the bill’s primary objectives: establishing a healthy food system, supporting a wide group of farmers who supply it and ensuring all Americans have access to a safe and nutritious food supply.  

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

February 25, 2026

TheHill.com

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s campaign to undermine the importance of vaccines has taken another dangerous turn.  

What had been an effort to silence the views of public health experts has evolved into an active pursuit of ill-conceived research to further legitimize Kennedy’s anti-vaccine agenda. Despite promises made during his Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy’s actions have eroded public trust in the most effective weapon we have to fight some of the world’s deadliest diseases.  

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

January 27, 2026

TheHill.com

Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are signaling that testosterone replacement therapy could soon be the centerpiece of a new government-backed initiative focusing on men’s health. … The key to solving the men’s health crisis in America won’t come in a vial. It will take courage and resolve by those leading U.S. health policy to focus on the urgent work that must be done to tackle the real issues at stake. 

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

December 12, 2025

TheHill.com

U.S. public health professionals are bracing for the possibility of yet another government shutdown looming next month. Should a closure happen again in the heart of winter — when communicable diseases travel like wildfire — the effect on America’s health would be potentially catastrophic. 

Here’s why: The gathering and distribution of critical health information, which the U.S. government conducts on an ongoing basis, abruptly halted during the recent 43-day federal closure. 

This created a massive blind spot for the public health community as it worked to keep Americans safe. It will be worse if the same thing happens during the height of respiratory illness transmission.

By Dr. Lyndon Haviland

November 20, 2025

TheHill.com

Companies have a responsibility to ensure the items they make do not put the American people in harm’s way. But the automobile industry doesn’t appear to follow this same “safety first” mindset when production problems put Americans at potential risk.

When auto safety concerns are identified, quick action by car companies to protect the public typically isn’t part of the response plan. In fact, it can take months — sometimes years — for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to fully investigate a matter before a manufacturer recall is issued.