Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, testifies in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 2025.
Washington D.C. – A new federal health report touted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a turning point in public health policy is drawing scrutiny for widespread citation errors and fabricated sources. Released under the banner of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative, the 73-page document claims to be rooted in “gold-standard” science, citing over 500 studies. But a review by NOTUS reveals the report’s foundation is riddled with broken links, misattributed research, and in some cases, completely invented studies.
At least seven studies cited in the MAHA report do not appear to exist. One example references a paper on adolescent anxiety in JAMA Pediatrics, allegedly authored by epidemiologist Katherine Keyes. But when contacted, Keyes confirmed that she had not written the paper cited and that the journal’s listed issue published no such study. The digital link included in the report to verify the citation is nonfunctional, further casting doubt on the validity of the claim.
The misattributed study isn’t an isolated error. Two additional studies supposedly examining the influence of direct-to-consumer drug advertisements on prescriptions for ADHD and antidepressants in children also cannot be located. One citation lists a researcher who does not appear to exist in the field, while the MAHA report credits a legitimate scientist who denied authoring the study altogether.
Other citations stretch the interpretation of actual research to fit a predetermined narrative. A study referenced in a section warning of overmedication in children was said to show that up to 40% of mild asthma cases are overprescribed oral corticosteroids. But the lead author, Harold J. Farber, denied writing the study in question. He acknowledged previous research on similar topics but criticized the MAHA report for drawing sweeping conclusions from limited, localized data.
The report also misinterprets existing studies. A cited review paper is used to claim that therapy is as effective as medication for mental health treatment — even though the review didn’t assess therapy at all. The statistician who co-authored the paper confirmed it only compared different antidepressants and placebos.
Errors extend beyond interpretation. Broken URLs, incorrect issue numbers, and misattributed authors appear throughout the footnotes. One researcher, whose work on screen time was cited to support claims about children’s health, noted that the study in question was conducted on college students, not children, and was published in a different journal than the report stated.
The MAHA report, commissioned to identify the root causes of chronic illnesses in the U.S., points fingers at everything from pesticides and cell phone radiation to food additives and plastics. A second document, titled “Make Our Children Healthy Again,” is expected to be released later this summer.
Kennedy has described the MAHA report as a historic achievement in American public health. But its reliance on questionable science, exaggerated claims, and non-existent studies raises concerns about the credibility of the administration’s health policy moving forward. Despite repeated requests, the Department of Health and Human Services has not addressed the discrepancies in the citations.
