NIH Board Chair's Pharma PR Ties Highlight Media Disclosure Gaps in Vaccine Injury Coverage
Corroborated reporting reveals undisclosed industry ties of an NIH board chair in NYT coverage of a vaccine injury clinic, raising questions about transparency amid RFK Jr.'s HHS role.
A New York Times article by Sheryl Gay Stolberg on October 16, 2026, reported that the NIH Clinical Center Research Hospital Board unanimously rebuked HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over a new vaccine injury clinic, citing concerns about politicizing science. The piece described board chair Jack Leslie as a 'former chairman' of Weber Shandwick who has advised WHO and philanthropies, without noting his current senior advisor role at the firm or its vaccine industry clients.
NIH records and Weber Shandwick's site confirm Leslie joined the board in 2022 under Francis Collins and became chair in 2024; his bio lists advisory work for Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Sanofi alongside global health clients. The board oversees the Clinical Center, which houses the new clinic.
Journalist Paul Thacker, writing in The DisInformation Chronicle, alleged Leslie leaked the statement and highlighted Weber Shandwick's prior ~$50 million CDC contract (reported in 2022 and covered by Sharyl Attkisson) for vaccine promotion work while serving pharma clients; that contract reportedly ended after Kennedy's appointment. Stolberg responded on X that her source was an independent private citizen and she watched a livestream, not directly contacting the board.
Related reporting in The Defender and Georgetown's The Hoya notes the appointment and Leslie's communications background. Critics point to potential conflicts given the firm's vaccine manufacturer ties and the board's role in overseeing research on injuries from those products.
[Thacker]: Persistent non-disclosure of PR-pharma overlaps in health reporting erodes public trust in institutions like NIH and legacy media, amplifying skepticism toward official vaccine narratives under shifting political leadership.
Sources (7)
- [1]NIH Clinical Center Press Release on Jack Leslie Appointment(https://www.cc.nih.gov/ocmr/media-clips/jack-leslie-appointed-ccrhb-chair)
- [2]Weber Shandwick Jack Leslie Bio(https://webershandwick.com/our-people/jack-leslie)
- [3]NYT: N.I.H. Hospital Board Rebukes Kennedy Over New Vaccine Injury Clinic(https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/kennedy-nih-hospital-board-rebuke.html)
- [4]The DisInformation Chronicle: How the NYT Hid Big Pharma PR Titan Jack Leslie(https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/how-the-nyt-hid-big-pharma-pr-titan)
- [5]The Defender: Pharma PR Executive Leaked Insider Criticism(https://tdefender.substack.com/p/pharma-pr-executive-leaked-insider-criticism-nih-vaccine-injury-center-new-york-times-paper-neglected-to-mention-his-industry-ties)
- [6]Sharyl Attkisson on Weber Shandwick CDC Contract(https://sharylattkisson.com/2022/10/read-moderna-and-pfizer-pr-firm-housed-in-cdc-vaccine-offices/)
- [7]The Hoya: Professor Appointed Chair of NIH Board(https://thehoya.com/news/campus-news/professor-appointed-chair-of-national-institutes-of-health-clinical-center-research-hospital-board/)