Susan Monarez, PhD, was abruptly fired from her role as CDC director on Aug. 27 after refusing to resign. The news comes nearly one month after she was confirmed into the role on July 29.
“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” an Aug. 27 HHS X post said. “We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. [HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] has full confidence in his team at [the CDC] who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.”
Dr. Monarez’s lawyers Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell responded with a statement, also posted to X, claiming that she has “neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign.”
The statement said Dr. Monarez’s refusal to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts” went against a political agenda of Mr. Kennedy and HHS, who are focused on “weaponizing public health for political gain” and risking the lives of “millions of Americans.”
“As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again. Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said, NBC News reported.
Four other senior CDC leaders have also resigned, according to letters obtained by NBC News. They include Debra Houry, MD, chief medical officer and deputy director for program and science of the Centers; Demetre Daskalakis, MD, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Daniel Jernigan, MD, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Jen Layden, MD, PhD, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology.
“Last night’s removal of CDC Director Susan Monarez and the resignations of other senior CDC leaders are highly alarming at a challenging moment for public health,” Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president, American Medical Association, said in an Aug. 28 statement shared with Becker’s. “This destabilization comes at a time when CDC’s credibility and leadership are more essential than ever. In the wake of CDC budget cuts and the termination of hundreds of employees earlier this year, the AMA is deeply concerned that this turmoil leaves us highly susceptible to public health threats.”
Dr. Monarez was nominated by President Donald Trump in March, and had served as acting CDC director since January. She became President Trump’s nominee after he withdrew his former pick, David Welcon, MD, hours before his first confirmation hearing in mid-March.
Several CDC employees told the Post that Dr. Monarez had an agencywide call scheduled for Aug. 25, but it was canceled on Aug. 22.
The leadership shakeup comes after an Aug. 8 shooting left one police officer and the suspected shooter dead on Emory University campuses in Atlanta, in front of the CDC’s Edward R. Roybal campus.
Moreover, the U.S. is about to head into fall and winter months, when respiratory viruses like flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 typically see a surge. In previous years, COVID-19 vaccine updated approvals and CDC guidance were finalized well in advance of the season, giving clarity to the public and providers. However, this year, uncertainty surrounding vaccine recommendations and access has raised concern among experts that gaps in protection could result in vulnerability heading into virus season.
