The CDC has appointed Ralph Abraham, MD, as principal deputy director, effective Nov. 23, according to an internal agency listing first reported by the Substack column Inside Medicine and confirmed in a Nov. 25 report from The New York Times.
Dr. Abraham, who served as Louisiana’s surgeon general beginning in 2024, previously ordered the state Department of Health to halt its mass vaccination campaign. Under his leadership, the department waited two months to warn residents about a pertussis outbreak that resulted in two deaths.
A longtime critic of COVID-19 vaccination policy, Dr. Abraham has called the shots “dangerous” and promoted discredited treatments, including hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. He has also questioned the safety of Tylenol during pregnancy and supported ending routine hepatitis B immunization at birth.
Dr. Abraham served in Congress from 2014 to 2020 and practiced as both a physician and veterinarian before entering politics. He is now the highest-ranking person with a medical degree at the CDC. The agency is led by acting director Jim O’Neill, a former biotech executive.
HHS confirmed Dr. Abraham’s appointment to the Times but declined further comment.
