Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, has been reported to have a disengaged management style, according to a New York Times investigation by Sheryl Gay Stolberg. The report highlights that Kennedy arrives at the Department of Health and Human Services around 10 a.m. and leaves by 4 p.m., often spending staff meetings on his phone. This comes at a time when an Ebola outbreak has been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization, with six Americans exposed.
The investigation notes a significant leadership vacuum within the department, with no surgeon general and many key positions at the National Institutes of Health filled by acting directors. The report indicates that Kennedy has not been actively engaged with the outbreak, having made few public comments and received limited briefings from CDC scientists.
Experts have expressed concern about the implications of Kennedy's management style. Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, stated that such a lack of engagement would not be acceptable in a major corporation. The report also mentions that Kennedy has surrounded himself with a close circle of advisers, which has led to operational slowdowns and staff departures.
Kennedy's attendance at departmental briefings has been infrequent, and when present, he has been described as disengaged. Reactions to the report have been critical, with political commentator Molly Jong-Fast stating, "We're cooked, I tell you," and former White House physician Jonathan Reiner commenting on the situation.
