Epidemiologist who has was speculated wonders if there is a link between Covid-19 vaccines and “turbo cancer” in teenage people and works as chief epidemiologist in business which sells ivermectin alongside reviews claiming it is effective in treating cancer, has been appointed by President Donald Trump to a key position overseeing the National Cancer Program.
Harvey Risch, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, announced his nomination as chair President’s Panel on Cancer on X earlier this month. Rischa profile page Yale’s website also updated to read: “In November 2025, President Trump nominated Dr. Risch to chair the Presidential Cancer Panel.”
No official statement has been released by the president or the White House, and the list of current members on the Cancer Panel’s website does not include Risch. The White House, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Cancer Panel and Risch did not respond to requests for comment.
In his modern position, Risch will oversee a group tasked with monitoring “the development and implementation of National Cancer Program activities and reporting to the President on progress, effectiveness, and opportunities for improvement,” according to the Cancer Panel website.
In addition to lending credence to unproven Covid-19 treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, he promoted the former in congressional testimony—Risch recently wondered whether Covid-19 vaccines are causing “turbo cancer” in some people. Now experts fear it could derail critical research into the causes and treatments of cancer.
“Having him on a panel charged with monitoring progress in efforts to improve cancer treatment and making recommendations to the president is a disaster for cancer patients because he will inject conspiracy theories, pseudoscience and false claims about cancer into the panel’s reports,” said David Gorski, a surgical oncologist.
Another expert, who spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity because he fears retaliation for speaking out about a Trump appointee, warned that he fears his conspiracy-related beliefs could leak into the National Cancer Program, a long-running effort to coordinate funding for crucial cancer research and training.
“I’m really concerned that at the federal level we’re going to be promoting the anti-cancer ivermectin,” a doctor who closely tracks the spread of medical misinformation tells WIRED.