The Informed Consent Principle: A Guide for Public Health Policy and Medical Ethics
Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, delivered this Grand Rounds presentation to Florida Department of Health employees on March 16, 2026, at the invitation of Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. Drawing on 44 years as a vaccine safety advocate, Fisher traces the history of the informed consent movement from the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act through the COVID pandemic response, examining the growing public trust crisis in health policy. She addresses waning vaccine immunity, chronic disease trends, and the surge in state legislation protecting informed consent rights — making the case that restoring trust in public health requires honest risk disclosure and respect for individual medical decision-making.
