The dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who advised senior Trump health officials before a recent public warning about Tylenol and autism, was paid at least $150,000 to serve as an expert witness for plaintiffs in legal actions against the company that makes Tylenol.
Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, a prominent epidemiologist, revealed this figure in a court deposition given in the summer of 2023. While his involvement as an expert witness was previously known, the specific amount of compensation had not been publicly disclosed.
A federal judge later dismissed these lawsuits due to a lack of robust scientific evidence, a decision that the plaintiffs are currently appealing.
President Trump and federal health officials recently asserted in a news conference that a definitive link exists between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism. The Trump administration has heavily relied on Dr. Baccarelli’s research to promote this perspective, highlighting his expertise in their public statements and media appearances as validation for the purported autism-acetaminophen connection.
For years, scientists have explored a potential link, but studies have yielded inconsistent results. Some research indicates a heightened risk among pregnant women using acetaminophen, while others find no association between the drug and autism.
Dr. Baccarelli served as the senior author of a recent scientific review, conducted with colleagues from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and other universities. This specific study was referenced during the White House press conference.
When approached for comment, Dr. Baccarelli declined an interview. Stephanie Simon, a spokeswoman for Harvard’s public health school, confirmed that Dr. Baccarelli’s deposition testimony was accurate and that his involvement concluded with the deposition, with only a few additional hours of work afterward.
In a Monday statement, Dr. Baccarelli indicated that he had discussed his team’s scientific findings and review recommendations with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, expressing appreciation for their interest.
The scientific review, which did not present new birth outcome data, analyzed 46 existing studies on whether prenatal acetaminophen use was linked to a higher risk of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder and ADHD in children. The review concluded that an “association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy” and the risk of these disorders exists.
During his deposition, Dr. Baccarelli was asked about his earnings for his work on the lawsuits, which involved preparing expert reports.
“I work for more than 200 hours, so it’s about $150,000,” Dr. Baccarelli stated in the deposition, which took place over an entire day at a Manhattan law firm on August 14, 2023.
At the time of the deposition, Dr. Baccarelli was a professor at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health’s department of environmental health sciences. He assumed the deanship of Harvard’s public health school in 2024.
The litigation in which Dr. Baccarelli acted as an expert witness encompassed hundreds of lawsuits filed by families alleging their children were diagnosed with autism or ADHD following Tylenol use during pregnancy.
Kenvue, the company responsible for Tylenol since its 2023 spin-off from Johnson & Johnson, along with major retailers selling generic acetaminophen, were named as defendants in the legal proceedings.
In her decision to dismiss the lawsuits, Judge Denise Cote concurred with the defendants’ lawyers, stating that Dr. Baccarelli had “cherry-picked and misrepresented study results” in his testimony, deeming it “unreliable.”
The primary law firm representing the plaintiffs, Keller Postman, did not respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople and lawyers for Kenvue also declined to comment.
During Monday’s news conference, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary cited the findings of the scientific review co-authored by Dr. Baccarelli.
“Four weeks ago, a Mt. Sinai-Harvard study reviewed all the existing literature and found the overwhelming body of evidence points to an association,” Dr. Makary stated. “Sure, you’ll be able to find a study to the contrary, that’s how science works.”
He further quoted the Harvard School of Public Health dean, saying: “‘There is a causal relationship between prenatal acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders of ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.’”
In a statement issued Monday night, Dr. Baccarelli subtly distanced himself from Dr. Makary’s characterization, noting, “Further research is needed to confirm the association and determine causality, but based on existing evidence, I believe that caution about acetaminophen use during pregnancy — especially heavy or prolonged use — is warranted.”
However, in his 2023 expert report for the lawsuit, Dr. Baccarelli had explicitly written that “substantial evidence supports a strong, positive, causal association between acetaminophen” and neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism and ADHD.
In his deposition, Dr. Baccarelli recounted his growing concern regarding acetaminophen use in pregnancy starting in 2021. As he delved deeper into the scientific literature, he explained: “Gradually I came to the realization that this was a big issue. I believed this was real. This was happening. This was causal.”
The August 2025 scientific review openly acknowledged Dr. Baccarelli’s expert witness involvement in the litigation through a disclaimer, stating, “This involvement may be perceived as a conflict of interest regarding the information presented in this paper on acetaminophen and neurodevelopmental outcomes.”
The disclaimer concluded by affirming, “Dr. Baccarelli has made every effort to ensure that this current work — like his past work as an expert witness on this matter — was conducted with the highest standards of scientific integrity and objectivity.”