In 1999 he spearheaded the precautionary movement to remove
thimerosal from pediatric vaccines.[1]
Education
Halsey received his MD in 1971 from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison. He completed his internship in pediatrics at The Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado in 1972; his residency in pediatrics at the University of Colorado Medical Center in 1975. Halsey was an EIS officer 1975–77; a preventive medicine resident 1976–78 and a fellow in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado 1978–80.
Research and professional experience
Halsey started his teaching career at Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, in the Departments of Pediatrics (School of Medicine) and Tropical Medicine (School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine). Halsey was also Medical Epidemiologist and Chief of Surveillance Activities at CDC and General Medical Officer and Medical Officer in Charge at the Indian Health Service at Fort Yates, North Dakota.
Halsey's research is primarily directed toward the prevention of infectious diseases with the safest vaccines possible. He has conducted or participated in epidemiological studies of vaccine-preventable diseases and phase I, II, and III vaccine trials of
hepatitis A,
hepatitis B, inactivated
polio virus,
pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type B,
tetanus,
Lyme disease,
rotavirus, Argentina Hemorrhagic Fever, human papillomavirus (HPV) and
influenzae vaccine viruses.
Measles control has been an interest of Halsey's, and he supports ongoing measles and
polio eradication efforts.
Halsey has worked internationally in many developing countries including Haiti, Peru, Guatemala, Kenya, Thiopia and Pakistan. A lot of his works in Haiti focused on maternal and child health issues. He collaborated with
Reginald Boulos on many of these papers.
Institute for Vaccine Safety
Halsey is the director emeritus of the Institute for Vaccine Safety, which was established in 1997 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to provide information to parents, physicians and journalists about vaccines and vaccine safety issues.
Select publications
MZ Dudley, DA Salmon, NA Halsey, WA Orenstein, Limaye RJ, O'Leary ST, et al. The Clinician's Vaccine Safety Resource Guide: Optimizing Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Across the Lifespan, Switzerland: Springer; 2018.
Einstein MH, Schiller JT, Viscidi RP, Strickler HD, Coursaget P, Tan T, Halsey NA (Jun 2009). "Clinician's guide to HPV immunology: knowns and unknowns". Lancet Infect Dis. 9 (6): 347–56.
doi:
10.1016/s1473-3099(09)70108-2.
PMID19467474.
Asturias EJ, Mayorga C, Caffaro C, Ramirez P, Ram M, Verstraeten T, Clemens R, Halsey NA (Jun 2009). "Differences in the immune response to hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines in Guatemalan infants by ethnic group and nutritional status". Vaccine. 27 (27): 3650–4.
doi:
10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.03.035.
PMID19464546.
Salmon DA, Teret SP, MacIntyre CR, Salisbury D, Burgess MA, Halsey NA (Feb 2006). "Compulsory vaccination and conscientious or philosophical exemptions: past, present, and future". Lancet. 367 (9508): 436–42.
doi:
10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68144-0.
PMID16458770.
S2CID19344405.
Khan AJ, Gebreselassie H, Asturias EJ, Agboatwalla M, Teklehaimanot R, Halsey NA, et al. (2006). "No evidence for prolonged excretion of polioviruses in persons with residual paralytic poliomyelitis in Ethiopia, Pakistan and Guatemala". Biologicals. 34 (2): 113–116.
doi:
10.1016/j.biologicals.2006.03.004.
PMID16682222.
Morris SK, Moss WJ, Halsey NA (Jul 2008). "Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine use and effectiveness". Lancet Infectious Diseases. 8 (7): 435–43.
doi:
10.1016/s1473-3099(08)70152-x.
PMID18582836.
Wood RA, Berger M, Dreskin SC, Setse R, Engler RJ, Dekker CF, Halsey NA (Sep 2008). "Hypersensitivity Working Group of the Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) Network. An Algorithm for Management of Patients With Hypersensitivity Reactions Following Vaccines". Pediatrics. 122 (3): e771–7.
doi:
10.1542/peds.2008-1002.
PMID18762513.
S2CID32822047.
Asturias EJ, Mayorga C, Caffaro C, Ramirez P, Ram M, Verstraeten T, Clemens R, Halsey NA (Jun 2009). "Differences in the immune response to hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines in Guatemalan infants by ethnic group and nutritional status". Vaccine. 27 (27): 3650–4.
doi:
10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.03.035.
PMID19464546.
VaccineSafety.edu - 'Prepared Testimony of Neal A. Halsey M.D. Before the House Committee on Government Reform Safety and Efficacy Issues' (October 12, 1999)