“A growing number of IMA’s independent physicians are being called on to help reform federal health policy from the inside, bringing rigorous science, transparency, and patient-centered care back to the forefront.” – Dr. Joseph Varon
In case you missed it, the Independent Medical Alliance (IMA), a national coalition of independent physicians, healthcare providers, and researchers, applauds the appointment of IMA Senior Fellow Dr. Elizabeth Mumper to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ newly constituted Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC).
Dr. Mumper is a nationally recognized pediatrician with decades of clinical experience caring for children with autism spectrum disorder. Throughout her career, she has been at the forefront of advancing early diagnosis, individualized treatment, and a data-driven understanding of autism, often challenging entrenched assumptions within the healthcare establishment in the process.
Dr. Mumper joins a growing group of IMA leaders serving in key federal advisory capacities, including ACIP Chair Dr. Kirk Milhoan and ACIP members Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Kimberly Biss, and her appointment reflects the broader shift underway at HHS, as independent physicians with real-world clinical experience are increasingly being tapped for senior advisory roles.
“Dr. Mumper has spent her career asking hard questions and following the data wherever it leads, always with the patient at the center,” said IMA President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Varon. “At a time when public trust in our healthcare institutions is fragile, Liz brings exactly the kind of independence, integrity, and scientific rigor that this role demands.”
The Independent Medical Alliance, formerly the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), emerged in response to the systemic failures exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, IMA has evolved into a leading force for healthcare reform, advocating for transparency, evidence-based medicine, and the removal of entrenched conflicts of interest from federal health policy. In early 2025, IMA published a comprehensive healthcare reform blueprint that continues to inform policymakers across multiple agencies.
“Our growing presence within HHS is not about politics, it’s about patients,” Dr. Varon added. “Independent physicians are stepping forward to restore scientific integrity, challenge conflicts of interest, and ensure that healthcare decisions are driven by data and clinical experience, not corporate influence. Dr. Mumper’s appointment is another important step in that direction.”
About Dr. Elizabeth Mumper
Elizabeth Mumper, M.D., was the founder and CEO of the Rimland Center for Integrative Medicine and a board-certified pediatrician. She has served as medical director of the Autism Research Institute and has received awards for her contributions to pediatrics, special-needs care, and autism research. Dr. Mumper has published scholarly work on autism related to inflammation, methylation, cytotoxicity, and hyperbaric treatment, and has researched prevention of environmental triggers. She has mentored medical trainees across multiple disciplines. Dr. Mumper earned her M.D. from the Medical College of Virginia and currently serves as faculty for the Medical Academy of Pediatrics and Special Needs and as a senior fellow of the Independent Medical Alliance.
