• Posted March 25, 2025

Susan Monarez Named CDC Director

President Donald Trump has chosen Susan Monarez to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) permanently. She has served as acting director since January.

If approved by the Senate, Monarez would become the first person without a medical degree to head the CDC in more than 50 years.

She is an infectious disease researcher and a former deputy director of a federal health research agency created during the Biden administration.

“Americans have lost confidence in the C.D.C. due to political bias and disastrous mismanagement,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.

He added that Monarez will work with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to fight chronic disease and improve trust in the agency. Its mission is to fight disease and help communities and citizens do the same.

“As an incredible mother and dedicated public servant, Dr. Monarez understands the importance of protecting our children, our communities, and our future,” Trump wrote.

Monarez took over at the CDC after the president’s original nominee, Dr. Dave Weldon, was pulled from the confirmation process just hours before his hearing. 

Senate Republicans said Weldon did not offer a strong enough plan for the agency. He later blamed Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana for opposing him, The New York Times noted.

Some health experts say Monarez brings a different approach than that of Weldon, whose vaccine views raised concerns.

“She has a strong reputation as a solid researcher and expert in infectious diseases,” Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said.

“She clearly understands public health and the role governmental public health plays,” he said. “I believe the public health community can work with her in a positive manner.”

Some CDC staffers have expressed concerns, however. Monarez has been working from outside Atlanta, where the CDC is based, and hasn't attended the agency’s all-hands meetings, agency employees told The New York Times.

A comment section on the company's website was deleted after employees asked for more communication.

Agency staff say her office mostly passes along orders from the White House and Health Department. 

She has also been helping with a federal effort to cut costs, which may lead to changes at the CDC.

When asked to remove terms like "LGBTQ" and "transgender" from the CDC website, sources say Monarez did not object or try to protect that data.

More information

Learn more about the role of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCE: The New York Times, March 24, 2025