The National Institutes of Health’s top researcher on ultra-processed foods announced Wednesday he was stepping down from the agency, accusing top aides to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of censorship.
“Unfortunately, recent events have made me question whether NIH continues to be a place where I can freely conduct unbiased science,” the researcher, Dr. Kevin Hall, wrote in a post on social media Wednesday.
Hall told CBS News that he was blocked by the department from being directly interviewed by a reporter from The New York Times, asking about recent research on how ultra-processed foods can be addictive.
Follow the latest news and policy debates on sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and other ‘disruptive’ innovations. Subscribe to our newsletter.
Hall’s early retirement marks the latest high-profile departure from the NIH, which has seen its ranks of top scientists gutted through oustings and layoffs under the Trump administration since February.
It also marks the latest divide between Kennedy and the federal scientists who have found themselves muzzled on his priorities.
