Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy swore in Susan Monarez as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Her role as CDC Director comes as the Trump administration has pushed an increase in tech efforts within health agencies.
“Director Monarez is a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials,” said Kennedy. “I have full confidence in her ability to restore the CDC’s role as the most trusted authority in public health and to strengthen our nation’s readiness to confront infectious diseases and biosecurity threats.”
Monarez said in a statement it is a “great honor to join Secretary Kennedy and his HHS leadership team,” explaining that she considers is a “privilege to work alongside the public servants at CDC. Together we will strengthen and modernize the nation’s public health preparedness and response through science and innovation. We will work every day at CDC to Make America Health Again.”
The new CDC Director previously served as the Acting Director of CDC and Deputy Director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, where she updated data collection, disease detection, and treatment technologies, HHS explained. She has also served in an advisory capacity at the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, among other groups.
Monarez became the first Senate-confirmed CDC Director earlier this week.
President Trump nominated Monarez for the position in March. At the time, he declared on Truth Social that Monarez “brings decades of experience championing Innovation, Transparency, and strong Public Health Systems” and “has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, and PostDoctoral training in Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine.”
