Last November, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the elimination of “black box” warnings on hormone replacement therapies, aiming to reverse nearly two decades of stigma surrounding a key treatment for menopause symptoms.
asserted
Department → announce → symptoms
Among the officials at a press conference about the decision was Alicia Jackson, director of a federal health agency that invests taxpayer money in medical technology and research.
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that → invest → technology
As Jackson stood behind a lectern adorned with the HHS logo, she praised the new policy, calling it a victory for women and science.
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she → stand → women
“Today we have the opportunity to add up to a decade of healthy years to the life of every woman that you love,” Jackson said.
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Jackson → have → that
Less clear that day were the financial benefits the new policy could bring Jackson, according to disclosure records obtained by ProPublica.
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policy → bring → ProPublica
Jackson is the founder and former chief executive of Evernow, an online platform that connects women with medical experts who treat the symptoms of menopause.
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who → connect → menopause
Although she left for federal service last year, she kept at least $115,000 in Evernow stock and an unknown amount of stock options, records show.
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records → leave → options
Those are just part of a multimillion-dollar portfolio Jackson holds with her husband, a venture capitalist, that poses potential conflicts of interest with her work overseeing the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, known as ARPA-H.
It’s unclear what role, if any, Jackson played in dropping the black box warning, the most serious type of federal safety warning that is reserved for drugs with severe side effects or life-threatening risks.
uncertain
that → hold → effects
A different agency, the Food and Drug Administration, regulates drugs, and its panel of experts had recommended an end to the warning requirement months before Jackson arrived in government.
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Jackson → regulate → government
But ethics experts called Jackson’s official endorsement of the warning removal “alarming” and an “obvious conflict of interest,” noting federal law prohibits government employees from participating “personally and substantially” in matters that could influence their personal finances — even making statements at a press conference or in a news release, as she also did.
“We should care because her company is apparently intending to profit off this change in policy that she endorsed as a government official while still retaining a financial interest in the company,” said Virginia Canter, who served as an ethics lawyer at the White House, Treasury Department and Securities and Exchange Commission during the presidencies of George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
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who → call → Bush
“I say it puts her within the zone of a potential violation,” she said.
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she → say → violation
Months after the announced end to the warning notices, Evernow launched a nationwide expansion.
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Evernow → announce → expansion
Under federal law, agency officials like Jackson are required to submit financial disclosure forms, which must then be certified as complying with ethics laws.
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which → require → laws
But Jackson’s two financial disclosures — filed last October and two months ago — remain uncertified.
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disclosures → file → ?
Canter said it is not unusual for an agency’s ethics office to ask the inspector general to investigate if staff cannot certify that an individual’s disclosure forms meet ethics standards.
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forms → say → standards
Over two months, ProPublica sought comment from Jackson and submitted questions about her work, investments and ethics records.
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ProPublica → seek → work
Jackson did not respond, and HHS never addressed our detailed questions.
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HHS → respond → questions
But in a statement to ProPublica last week, an agency spokesperson said Jackson has been placed on administrative leave and HHS would “assess the facts before determining any change in her status.
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HHS → say → status
HHS requires all officials to comply with federal ethics laws, regulations, and policies.”
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HHS → require → laws
HHS declined to answer additional questions about the reasons for Jackson’s leave, the decision’s timing or whether the inspector general was investigating.
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general → decline → leave
Earlier this week, Bloomberg Law reported on the HHS statement that Jackson was on leave and made public a draft memo by one of the agency’s senior officials that would have granted Jackson a conflict waiver involving many of her and her husband’s extensive investments.
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that → report → investments
Since she joined ARPA-H, the memo said, Jackson and her husband’s financial ties required her to recuse herself from “a significant portion” of her duties, including discussions about funding awarded by her agency.
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Jackson → join → agency
The waiver named 30 investments and would have allowed Jackson to take part in decisions that could affect those interests.
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that → name → interests
Evernow is not listed.
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Evernow → list → ?
Bloomberg reported that two firms with ties to Jackson sought ARPA-H funding, but it was unclear if either received any.
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either → report → any
HHS did not respond to ProPublica’s questions asking whether the waiver was ever granted or if the firms had received money from ARPA-H.
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firms → respond → money
The Office of Government Ethics does not list Jackson among federal officials who have received waivers.
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who → list → waivers
Jackson’s disclosures are among 2,400 added Thursday to ProPublica’s Trump Team Financials database, a searchable tool launched in March.
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disclosures → add → March
The records detail the finances of more than 2,300 officials appointed by President Donald Trump.
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records → detail → Trump
Since last year, we’ve requested disclosure records from 127 federal agencies and the White House.
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we → request → agencies
Disclosures from roughly 1,500 appointees remain unreleased.
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Disclosures → remain → appointees
The Trump administration’s massive cuts to the federal bureaucracy have taken a toll on the ranks of ethics staff.
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cuts → take → staff
Some agencies said the losses hampered ethics officers’ ability to conduct training and monitor employee compliance.
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losses → say → compliance
Trump appointees failed to file nearly 420 legally mandated public financial disclosure reports last year, almost a fourfold spike compared with the Biden administration’s last full year, the center found.
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center → fail → year
Nevertheless, our database provides the most complete source yet for this administration’s ethics documents.
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database → provide → documents
Jackson spent years navigating the worlds of technological research, government and entrepreneurship, according to her government bio and LinkedIn profile.
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Jackson → spend → bio
After earning a doctorate in materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2007, she worked briefly as a U.S. Senate policy staffer.
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she → earn → staffer
She subsequently joined the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency as a program manager, later becoming deputy director of its first biotechnology office.
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She → join → office
Jackson left the Defense Department in mid-2015, going on to lead several biotech businesses before starting Evernow in 2019.
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Jackson → leave → 2019
The San Francisco-based company connects women experiencing sometimes debilitating menopause symptoms with medical providers who prescribe treatments.
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who → base → treatments
…and 62 more, not listed.
The Aporia
