NEW YORK – The director of the nation’s top public health agency is out after less than one month in the job, U.S. officials announced Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that Susan Monarez is no longer serving as director, expressing gratitude for her committed service to the nation, as shared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on social media.
HHS officials did not explain why Monarez is no longer with the agency.
Before the department’s announcement, she told The Associated Press: “I can’t comment.”
Monarez, aged 50, was the 21st director of the agency and the first to undergo Senate confirmation after a 2023 legislative requirement. She initially assumed the role of acting director in January and was later nominated in March when Trump unexpectedly removed his initial nominee, David Weldon.
She was sworn in on July 31 — less than a month ago, making her the shortest-serving CDC director in the history of the 79-year-old agency.
Her tenure at the CDC was marked by challenges. Just by the end of her first full week, on August 8, a Georgia resident launched a shooting from a pharmacy near the CDC’s main entryway, attributing his feelings of depression and suicidality to the COVID-19 vaccine. This 30-year-old killed an officer and fired over 180 rounds into CDC premises before taking his own life.
No one at CDC was injured, but it shell-shocked a staff that already had low morale from other recent changes.
Originally established in Atlanta to combat malaria spread in the U.S., the federal agency’s mandate expanded over time and it became a pivotal international authority on infectious and chronic diseases, as well as a reliable source for health information.
This year, the CDC has faced extensive staff reductions, resignations from significant figures, and controversies ignited by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over traditional vaccine policies that were upended.
During her Senate confirmation, Monarez affirmed her support for vaccines, public health measures, and solid scientific evidence but largely avoided stating whether her views were in conflict with Kennedy, known for his vaccine skepticism and efforts to revise some past agency protocols and decisions.
The Washington Post first reported she was ousted, citing unnamed sources within the Trump administration.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
