CDC in turmoil after the director is ousted. Sparks protests and resignations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was thrown into chaos last week after its director, Dr. Susan Monarez, was abruptly ousted by the White House. The move has triggered protests, resignations from top officials, and nationwide concerns about the future of public health guidance in the United States.

Monarez, a longtime government scientist, had served as the CDC director for less than a month before being replaced by Jim O’Neil, a former investment executive without a medical background. The decision came at the urging of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long been associated with anti-vaccine activism. 

The announcement immediately sparked backlash inside and outside the CDC. Three senior leaders—Dr. Debra Houry, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, and Dr. Daniel Jernigan resigned in protest, citing concerns about political interference in science. Hundreds of employees gathered at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta to applaud the departing officials. 

Monarez’s lawyers say she was pushed out for refusing to “rubber-stamp scientific reckless directives.” Dr. Houry, deputy director, told reporters that Monarez had tried to guard against political meddling in vaccine policy. “You cannot dismantle public health and expect it to work still,” Houry warned.

The controversy comes at a critical moment: next month, the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, recently reshaped by Kennedy with vaccine skeptics, is scheduled to review long-standing childhood immunizations, including shots for measles and Hepatitis B. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns, with some calling for an oversight hearing and others demanding Kennedy’s removal. Senator Bill Cassidy, a republican, cautioned that the committee’s recommendations could “lack legitimacy” if science is sidelined. 

Monarez, now the shortest-serving CDC director since the agency’s founding, is contesting her removal. Meanwhile, the nation waits anxiously for the next chapter in a battle that could redefine the role of science in public health.