Trump Names New Choice to Lead CDC -- WSJ

Dow Jones
25 Mar

By Liz Essley Whyte

President Trump nominated the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lead the agency permanently, after dropping his first pick for the job.

Susan Monarez was named acting director of the CDC early in the Trump administration and has worked closely with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership team to fight a measles outbreak in Texas.

"Dr. Monarez will work closely with our GREAT Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr. Together, they will prioritize Accountability, High Standards, and Disease Prevention to finally address the Chronic Disease Epidemic and, MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!" Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.

Monarez has a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and subsequently studied at Stanford University.

Monarez would be the first CDC director without a medical degree in more than 70 years. She must be confirmed by the Senate.

The White House dropped Dr. Dave Weldon, a former congressman, the evening before his confirmation hearing after he lost support from Senators worried he wasn't qualified for the job, people familiar with the matter said.

Monarez was previously deputy director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, known as ARPA-H, which seeks to drive healthcare transformation with an approach similar to the Defense Department's DARPA agency, known for working on an early version of the internet.

"She has a keen perspective of national-security issues, which i always think is important," said Dr. Bob Redfield, who led the CDC during the first Trump administration.

Write to Liz Essley Whyte at liz.whyte@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 24, 2025 17:33 ET (21:33 GMT)

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