Their Names Sound Like Legacy Medical Groups. Their Agendas Tell a Different Story

 Several organizations have sprung up in recent years with names that sound very similar to long-standing established nonprofit public health and medical groups.

Here's a list of some of these organizations whose names, at first glance, may confuse prospective members or donors.

APHA and APH

The American Public Health Association, founded in 1872, has some 25,000 individual members and more than 150,000 allied health professionals and advocates for public health science and spending. It publishes the American Journal of Public Health. Its CEO, Georges Benjamin, MD, has been a vociferous critic of the Trump administration's policies. The APHA has filed a lawsuit against its vaccination schedule policies and several others over grant funding.

The Academy of Public Health was founded in February 2025 by Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, the Trump administration's NIH director, and others who questioned some of the ways the U.S. responded to the COVID pandemic, and who advocated the controversial policy of herd immunity. Its founders also criticized publication policies of many mainstream medical journals. It publishes the Journal of the Academy of Public Health.

AAP and ACP

The American Academy of Pediatrics was launched in 1930. It now has some 67,000 pediatricians as members. It has opposed Trump administration immunization policies as well as statements by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. questioning vaccine schedules that have led to lower immunization rates among children, and more illness. It supports gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

The American College of Pediatricians was launched in 2002 by several pediatricians who left the AAP to protest the support of allowing same-sex couples to adopt children. It holds that life begins at fertilization. Its website says it is the "leading U.S. medical organization protecting the biological integrity of children against transgender ideology."

ACOG and AAPLOG

The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists began in 1951 to focus on issues specific to women's health, including family planning. It now focuses on advocating for maternal health as a national priority. It has about 60,000 members and publishes the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. It has opposed several Trump administration policies, including warnings about use of antidepressants during pregnancy, suggesting these are linked with autism, miscarriage, and birth defects.

The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists was an ACOG special interest group until 2013 when ACOG ended that designation. It opposes abortion, suggesting it is associated with health risks such as depression and substance abuse, and supports "the physician's right of conscience in medical decision making" regarding abortion.

AAFP and ACFM

The American Academy of Family Physicians began in 1947 and now says it is the voice of 124,500 family doctors. It publishes a journal, American Family Physician. It has opposed several Trump administration actions, such as its removal of an AAFP member and other members from the CDC's long-standing Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The American College of Family Medicine began in the spring of 2023. It opposes mandatory abortion training in residencies and maintains that "abortion is never medically necessary and should not be offered or performed by any health professional."

ACS and AAPS

The American College of Surgeons was founded in 1913 to improve surgical outcomes. It has launched numerous surgical quality improvement programs for surgical specialties to learn strategies and compare results, and its website has a surgical risk calculator. It claims 95,000 members globally, and publishes the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons was launched in 1943 by a conservative group of physicians. It has long opposed the Affordable Care Act, believes physicians are often unfairly targeted with federal fraud accusations, and are too frequently subjected to "illegitimate" hospital peer review. It opposed COVID mask and vaccination mandates and generally believes that healthcare providers are over-regulated. It opposes gun control.

It publishes the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.

CSPI and CMPI

The Center for Science in the Public Interest began in 1971 as a consumer advocacy group and now advocates for policies that keep dangerous chemicals out of the food supply. It wants to "fix our broken food additive regulations" and improve food labeling.

The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest says it is a non-partisan research and educational organization with a goal to advocate for patient-centered healthcare. It has come under fire for its free-market policies and has been said to be overly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, including lawsuit immunity for drug manufacturers.

CDF and CHD

The Children's Defense Fund began in 1973, rooted in the civil rights and women's movements and the fight for equity and racial justice. It works to reduce child hunger and gun violence and improve nutrition, education, and school safety.

Children's Health Defense began as the World Mercury Project, but under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s chairmanship -- his picture is at the top of the organization's homepage -- the name was changed in 2018. Through litigation and public messaging campaigns, the group has challenged public health mandates and school vaccine requirements, and has suggested vaccines and some environmental contaminants are the underlying causes for autism, despite evidence to the contrary.

As the Trump administration's Health Secretary since 2025, Kennedy has taken many of CHD's causes and statements and incorporated them into federal recommendations and policies. His actions have prompted numerous lawsuits from states, medical groups, and others.

On its website soliciting donations, CHD acknowledges the potential for name confusion with other organizations. It says, "Please note, we are often confused with Children's Health Fund or Children's Defense Fund, so be careful not to inadvertently select the wrong recipient."

Several of these organizations did not respond to a request for comment, or said they declined comment on whether name similarity had affected their philanthropic donations or membership.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/features/123696