Dr. Michael Ross withdrew from the federal vaccine safety advisory committee Wednesday, two weeks after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed him.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices had yet to have its first meeting among the original eight members Kennedy appointed. Amid accusations of corruption, Kennedy fired all 17 of the previous members.

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Ross is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University. He has served on the CDC’s Advisory Committee for the Prevention of Breast and Cervical Cancer and has experience advising major organizations, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. As of Tuesday, Ross was no longer on the list of voting members on the CDC website.

“Dr. Michael Ross decided to withdraw from ACIP during the financial holdings review required of members before they can start work on the committee,” HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon told the New York Times. “The sacrifice to serve on ACIP varies from member to member, and we appreciate Dr. Ross’s willingness to go through this rigorous process.”

While Ross’s stance on vaccines was not public, his service on behalf of the prevention of cancer likely meant he was in favor of the HPV vaccine, which fights human papillomavirus infections that cause cancers in the cervix and genitals.

Notably, Ross initially accepted the appointment after Kennedy announced that the COVID-19 vaccine had been removed from the recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women. Kennedy announced the change to the CDC recommendations in the days before he picked the new committee.

The Washington Examiner reached out to HHS for comment.

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According to the CDC, only 13% of children were reported to have the 2024-2025 booster. Among pregnant women, 14% had the latest booster.

The first APIC meeting in its new makeup comes on Wednesday, with an agenda including COVID-19 and RSV vaccines. This panel will examine the effectiveness of RSV prevention during the 2024-2025 season and vote on updates.