RFK Jr urges Alzheimer’s screening but blunts key panel that could drive research

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the health secretary, at a discussion in Washington in May. Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Robert F Kennedy Jr, the health secretary, at a discussion in Washington in May. Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty Images RFK Jr urges Alzheimer’s screening but blunts key panel that could drive research Experts say evidence for cognitive screening desired by health secretary ‘not great’ as taskforce idle since last year The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr , has called for better Alzheimer’s screening – but a critical federal panel that might have helped researchers find practical ways to do that has been prevented from meeting for more than a year. The panel, formally called the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), had planned to issue a recommendation on screening for cognitive decline this year, alongside 13 other topics as varied as autism screening and food allergy prevention. “The evidence for cognitive screening for dementia is not great,” said John Ruiz, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Arizona and a recent member of the panel. The taskforce is a group of expert volunteers who assess preventive services for health insurance coverage. The Trump administration has prevented the taskforce from meeting since March 2025, a political appointee fired two panel chairs, and the administration has so far failed to appoint new members. Ruiz rotated off the taskforce in January. “You get 10 neurologists, you get 10 approaches on how they’re going to assess that – there’s no consensus. The evidence is mixed at best,” said Ruiz. “The taskforce’s response has been to say, ‘Put more funding into building the evidence, allow researchers to do screening studies to find out – what does the evidence say about screening tools?’” The USPSTF recommendations can help inform future research, said Ruiz, as their draft recommendations are open for public comment and frequently receive substantial input from research communities. Alzheimer’s researchers also reported their work has been “slowed” by the health department’s policies, including funding disruptions. In April , Kennedy criticized the panel and called for better Alzheimer’s screening in the same breath. “Screening for prevention is absolutely critical,” said Kennedy in congressional testimony, responding to a question from Republican House member Vern Buchanan of Florida. “We are forming now the USPSTF, which is the committee that decides on new procedures and interventions that need to get [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid] compensation. And that committee has been lackadaisical and negligent for 20 years,” Kennedy said, adding later: “We’re making huge investments at NIH and elsewhere, and doing the kind of science that we need to do better screening for Alzheimer’s.” At the time Kennedy made the statement, the health department had prevented the USPSTF from meeting for more than a year and failed to fill at least eight vac