Casey Means, a key ally to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., replaces Janette Nesheiwat, a physician criticized for promoting coronavirus vaccines.

The partnership will focus first on "enabling research around the root causes" of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), HHS said. Researchers can use the platform to identify autism diagnosis trends, health outcomes from interventions, access to care by demographics and geography, and economic burdens.

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a partnership between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that will focus on research