- Dr. Remington Nevin, a Johns Hopkins-trained physician considers comparisons to RFK Jr. to be a ‘great compliment and honor’
- He dedicated much of his career to advocate for his research that antimalarial medications administered to the military have had harmful side effects
- St. Clair County Commissioners are considering a change that may give Nevin more authority to enact his vision for the community
PORT HURON — With a clear mission to challenge conventional wisdom in public health, St. Clair County’s medical director, Dr. Remington Nevin, has drawn parallels to US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Nevin welcomes the comparison.
“To the extent that some residents may be comparing us, I would consider that a great compliment and honor. One underestimates him and the strength of his convictions at their peril.”
Since joining St. Clair County’s public health department in 2023 in a part-time capacity, Nevin has made it easier for parents to opt out of children’s vaccines, sought to prohibit fluoride in drinking water, removed health care services from school clinics and pushed a county ordinance that declared solar farms a possible “threat to public health.”
So, who is Remington Nevin?
Nevin, 51, is a Johns Hopkins-trained physician who’s board-certified in public health, general preventive medicine and occupational medicine.
He was born and raised in Toronto.
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He took an unconventional route to Port Huron. After spending time as a doctor for the US Army, Nevin led research exploring the side effects of mefloquine and similar antimalarialmedications administered to members of the military. He has testified about his findings before the US Senate and Canadian Parliament.
Outside of his part-time public duties, Nevin maintains a nonprofit to advocate for his position that veterans are experiencing life-threatening neuropsychiatric conditions caused by the anti-malarial drugs.
Nevin’s yearslong crusade to expose what he believes are the military’s suppressed harms, and the dismissal of his findings by a government-led investigation into the drugs, offer a window into how he came to view public health as a fallible field in need of direct accountability.
On public health
Nevin believes there are typically “no ideal solutions in public health, only tradeoffs,” and says championing the priorities and values of the community are paramount in his position as St. Clair County’s medical director.
Concerning his recommendations to the county — many of which counter the mainstream positions of his physician peers — Nevin believes the state public health code does not require him to provide a precise scientific rationale, citing measures taken by others during the COVID-19 emergency as proof.
“To this day no Michigan health official has provided — or been required to provide — a precise scientific or medical rationale for mandating that restaurant patrons wear a mask from the moment they enter until they are seated, only to remove it for the duration of the meal,” Nevin said.
A post-pandemic appointment
Nevin took the St. Clair County job in 2023 during a period of significant change at the local health department, which had drawn fire for mask mandates during the pandemic.
County commissioners decided to split the health department’s leadership between a medical director role, which Nevin would eventually assume, and a health officer position to oversee the organization.
Liz King, a registered nurse, was appointed as St. Clair County’s health officer in 2022 after working for the department for two decades.
“In my view, there is value in having two individuals serve in these positions,” King told Bridge in an email. “It allows the department to benefit from distinct areas of expertise—one focused on administrative leadership and operations, and the other providing medical and clinical guidance.”
Despite that, St. Clair County commissioners are considering recombining the health department positions once again, but haven’t specified how.
Some residents say Nevin should be given more authority to enact his vision for the county. Others say they’re concerned about Nevin’s moves to curtail standard public health guidelines.
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