Calley Means, a health care entrepreneur and one of the most visible advisers to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has returned to the federal health department in an expanded role. The Department of Health and Human Services updated its internal directory to list Means as a senior adviser, The New York Times reported.
Andrew Nixon, a representative for the department, confirmed to The New York Times on Tuesday that Means has been hired full-time. Nixon said Means will focus primarily on food and nutrition policy. Means previously served as a special government employee, a temporary post capped at 130 working days per year.
He said last month that he had stepped down from that temporary role. Means has emerged as a major force within Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
He has coordinated high-profile projects inside the department, including a major federal report warning of severe health challenges facing American children. Means has also been vocal about planned reforms to federal dietary guidelines.
Last month, he shared an image of the traditional food pyramid on social media and referred to it as “one of the deadliest documents in American history.”
He has built a public profile on panels, interviews, and podcasts by arguing that the American medical system is structured around “sick care” instead of prevention.
Means frequently describes the health system as a “pharmaceutical treadmill” that pushes patients toward drugs rather than long-term wellness.
He regularly praises what he sees as Kennedy’s early accomplishments while criticizing what he calls a broken and corrupt health apparatus.
In 2024, Means released the best-selling book “Good Energy,” written with his sister, Dr. Casey Means.
Dr. Means is Kennedy’s nominee for surgeon general. She was scheduled to testify before the Senate Health Committee last month. The hearing was postponed because she went into labor shortly before she was set to appear.
Calley Means is also a co-founder of Truemed, a startup designed to help consumers use their flexible savings accounts to purchase supplements, fitness equipment and other wellness products.
His ties to the company drew scrutiny in Congress.
Two Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary Kennedy last month asking whether Means would release financial disclosure forms and avoid conflicts of interest.
Nixon said Tuesday that Means will divest his holdings in Truemed as part of his transition into the senior adviser role.
Joe Vladeck, general counsel for Truemed, said in an email that Means has left the company entirely.
Vladeck said he no longer holds any position or influence within the startup.
Authorities responded in September to a bomb threat at the Georgetown home of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Washington, D.C.
Police K-9 units searched the residence and the surrounding area, but no explosives were located. Officials said the scene remains active as the investigation continues, Newsmax reported.
Authorities have not released further details about who made the threat or whether it was considered credible.
The incident comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces bipartisan criticism over sweeping changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy recently dismissed the agency’s entire vaccine advisory panel, replacing it with members who voted to drop the combined MMRV shot for children and scale back universal COVID-19 and hepatitis B vaccine recommendations.
