One year ago, when CalOptima pulled her contract for vaccine non-compliance, Dr. Cardenas suffered the loss of her practice and her livelihood. Now she now earns just $100 a week consulting with old patients on Medicaid, a sobering reminder of what happens when ethics clash with bureaucratic mandates. This grueling year has reshaped Dr. Cardenas’ goals and vision and inspired her to change the system and enact a personalized medical approach. 

“We need doctors running policy, not administrators,” Cardenas emphasizes, describing a medical system that’s increasingly data-driven and disconnected from hands-on patient care. What’s broken is not medicine—it’s the administration controlling it.”

ACIP Recommendations and the COVID Vaccine

Dr. Cardenas remains wary of the future of the COVID vaccine in pediatrics. Even though ACIP (CDC Advisory Committee on Immunizaton Practices) has been completely overhauled, she believes the fight is far from over. 

Dr. Cardenas’s legal fight hones in on the ACIP’s 2023 decision to place the COVID-19 vaccine on the routine childhood immunization schedule. When she, along with other doctors and independent medical researchers, began documenting disturbing rise in myocarditis in teens following mRNA vaccination, she pushed back and refused to comply, which ultimately led to her dismissal. She believes the risks are greater from the vaccine than they are with COVID.

Meanwhile, the CDC continues to claim that the vaccine is safe and effective, and for some people, it seems to be a non-issue. Why is this? Why are some patients OK, while others suffer severe reactions?

Personalized Medicine: Genetic Variations, Immune Overactivation and Myocarditis

Individual genetic variations may play a huge role in influencing immune response to mRNA vaccines and Dr. Cardenas’ observations line up with the idea that we’re ignoring genetic red flags in the rush to treat everyone the same. As a doctor who is first committed to “Do No Harm” and who knows that young, healthy kids are only very rarely at risk of complications form COVID, Dr. Cardenas did not see the value in introducing a vaccine with potentially severe side effects to a population that simply did not need it, and in standing up for her beliefs, the State of California silenced her and stripped her of her income.

Genetics play a huge role in immune system response and may be predisposing some people to that overreaction. When the immune system overreacts to something it perceives as a threat (like a spike protein delivered via mRNA), it creates conditions that form an inflammatory response, which seems to go into overdrive and inflames the heart tissue. This is termed immune overactivation, and is a known trigger for myocarditis and pericarditis. Certain individuals naturally produce more antibodies or respond more vigorously based on their gene variations. So, hypothetically: If someone’s immune system is genetically primed to go big, and they receive a dose of mRNA that cues their cells to mass-produce spike protein, That person might be more prone to an intense immune reaction — possibly one that becomes inflammatory.

A March, 2025 genome-wide association study found that certain genetic factors (such as variations in the immunoglobulin heavy chain) can affect antibody production and T-cell responses post-vaccination. This paper clearly illuminates why some people’s genetic makeup may create an aggressive immune system response, and why a young, healthy athlete suddenly ends up with heart inflammation after a vaccine. 

Dr. Cardenas’ lawsuit, with representation from Children’s Health Defense Attorney Rick Jaffe, isn’t just about compensation. “I just want the noise. I want people to know what’s happening,” she said. With no financial gain expected and substantial legal hurdles, her commitment is rooted in protecting future generations. “Children don’t need this vaccine. It’s doing more harm than good.”

How Public Policy Affects Individualized Health

Dr. Cardenas sees this “one size fits all” approach as a natural extension of the degeneration of personalized medical care. She began her pediatric practice in an era of medicine that valued hands-on diagnostics and patient connection, whereas modern medical education prioritizes lab data over human interaction:

“We’ve lost touch—literally. You can’t diagnose everything with a lab report.”

Cardenas advocates for a return to traditional clinical training and practical diagnosis, especially in pediatrics. Her vision for public policy reform includes consulting for federal health agencies, revamping medical school curricula, and eliminating digital-only approaches that leave physicians disconnected from their patients.

ACIP Shared Clinical Decision-Making Recommendations

Initially, Dr. Cardenas was waiting for the ACIP’s June 2025 vote that many hoped would remove the COVID shot from the children’s schedule. On May 27, 2025, Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. altered the COVID shot recommendations for healthy children. Not long after, RFK Jr. released all ACIP committee members due to conflicts of interest, and appointed new members. To her dismay, notes Dr. Cardenas, the COVID-19 vaccine still remains on the childhood schedule as an option for healthy children:

ACIP Recommendations — Ages 6 month –17 years who are NOT moderately or severely immunocompromised. 
Where the parent presents with a desire for their child to be vaccinated, children 6 months and older may receive COVID-19 vaccination, informed by the clinical judgment of a healthcare provider and personal preference and circumstances.  – CDC ACIP 

Dr. Cardenas has filed a lawsuit represented by Attorney Rick Jaffe, to “compel the CDC to abandon its misguided and scientifically untethered policy, and stop the unnecessary mass vaccination of the nation’s poorest children.

Connect with Dr. Cardenas

Dr. Cardenas continues to research, network with like-minded doctors, and quietly mentor patients, She’s also collaborating with medical researchers who are uncovering long-term vaccine injury data—especially in children. Despite professional setbacks and financial strain, Dr. Cardenas remains resolute.

“If adults want to keep injecting themselves, I can’t stop them,” she says. “But if I can make a dent in vaccines for children, then I’ve done my job.”

Contact Dr. Cardenas:

Dr. Cardenas resides in Anaheim, California and is operating a private tele-health practice. She is open to all pediatric patients and is especially skilled in diagnosis and prevention. Dr. Cardenas operates on a sliding scale for her CalOptima (Medical) population. 

SAMARA P CARDENAS MD
1120 W LA PALMA AVE STE 15
ANAHEIM, CA 92801
[email protected]

714-535-6419