RFK Jr.'s MAHA report erroneously referenced non-existent studies

RFK Jr.'s MAHA report erroneously referenced non-existent studies

New Report from Trump Administration's "Make America Healthy Again" Commission Questioned for Inaccurate Citations

Several studies cited within the Trump administration's "Make America Healthy Again" report have faced scrutiny for their accuracy and legitimacy. One notable instance involves Dr. Katherine Keyes, who has confirmed that she did not author a paper attributed to her in the report.

Dr. Keyes, a researcher listed as the first author of a paper on rates of depression and anxiety among teens during the pandemic, revealed to our website that she did not write the paper cited in the "Make America Healthy Again" Commission report headed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The White House unveiled this report last week. In an email to our site, Dr. Keyes expressed surprise at the erroneous citation and concern over the report's citation practices, which are crucial to maintaining scientific rigor.

A representative from JAMA Pediatrics, one of the journals factored in the report, also confirmed to our website that the paper in question is nowhere to be found in their publications. Dr. Keyes stated she has conducted research on the topic mentioned in the report, but the paper in question is not among her and her co-authors' work.

It appears that at least two research journals, including JAMA Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics, were unable to locate certain papers cited within the "Make America Healthy Again" report, despite being listed as such.

Following criticism from various outlets, including AFP, the White House rectified the issue by updating the report to remove the inaccurate citations. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the changes were due to "formatting issues," contending that the substance of the report remains untouched. Leavitt expressed confidence in Secretary Kennedy and his team at HHS.

Calley Means, a senior adviser to Kennedy, defended the report, noting that the underlying data and conclusions remained correct, with any formatting errors having been rectified. The updated version removed mentions of papers that no longer existed, replacing them with other sources, and seemed to accentuate more cautious language to accommodate the citation adjustments.

The broader concerns regarding the report's methodological rigor and reliability persist, however. The problematic citations call into question the scientific validity of the report, with Dr. Keyes' offer to provide accurate information to the MAHA committee hinting at the possibility of inadvertent errors that nevertheless impact the report's credibility.

This development comes as Kennedy continues to advocate for federal researchers to cease publishing their work in independent, peer-reviewed journals in favor of developing their own research journals under the National Institutes of Health. The "Make America Healthy Again" report, led by Kennedy, contains more than 500 citations, most of which are from studies published in peer-reviewed, independent journals, including 30 from top-tier journal JAMA.

In a standard peer-reviewed research practice, authors typically reference other sources using citations, which provide a roadmap to the research process and often serve to justify or back up the need for further research. The papers listed in the "Make America Healthy Again" report usually include a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to unique identify a paper and provide it with a permanent web address. Some of the papers listed in the report, including the one attributed to Dr. Keyes, result in a DOI not found error.

In conclusion, the "Make America Healthy Again" report contains inaccurately cited studies, including one specific paper attributed to Dr. Katherine Keyes, which does not exist within the JAMA Pediatrics journal. These errors have prompted official revisions to the report and raised questions about the report's overall scientific integrity. The White House has responded to the controversy by making adjustments but has generally downplayed the report's credibility concerns.

1. The report from the Trump administration's "Make America Healthy Again" Commission has faced criticism for inaccurate citations, as studies attributed to researchers like Dr. Katherine Keyes have been proven non-existent.
2. The White House has been forced to update the report, removing inaccurate citations, due to concerns over scientific rigor and the report's overall credibility.
3. The issue of inaccurate citations not only impacts the report's scientific validity but also raises questions about the future of policy-and-legislation based on the report's findings, particularly in the fields of science, education, health, and mental-health.
4. The controversy surrounds the use of papers from peer-reviewed, independent journals like JAMA Pediatrics, which have been unable to locate certain papers cited within the "Make America Healthy Again" report.
5. The report's Defense comes from the White House, citing formatting issues as the cause for the inaccuracies. However, concerns persist about the report's methodological rigor and the potential for inadvertent errors to impact the report's credibility.

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