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Monarez becomes first CDC Director requiring Senate approval

Susan Monarez is the first CDC director subject to Senate approval and the first non‑physician in 70 years to lead the agency.

Alivia Kaylor, MSc
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Published: 30 Jul 2025

In a 51‑47 vote yesterday, the Senate confirmed Dr. Susan Monarez as CDC director, making her the first nominee to face confirmation under a requirement set by the 2023 omnibus spending law, which took effect at the beginning of the year. The new rule brings the CDC's role in line with other Senate‑approved health‑agency leadership positions.

Although Monarez brings decades of federal health experience to the role, she is the first director in more than 70 years to hold the position without a medical degree.

Monarez, a Ph.D.-trained microbiologist and immunologist, previously served as the CDC's acting director until she stepped down for the confirmation process. She was also director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health and has held senior roles at Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the National Security Council and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Monarez was nominated after the administration withdrew physician and former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon (R), whose vaccine skepticism drew bipartisan opposition.

New leadership amid CDC reorganization

Monarez steps into the role as the agency recovers from sharp workforce reductions and program eliminations. Since January, the CDC has lost nearly a third of its staff, and President Trump has proposed slashing its fiscal year 2026 budget by 54%, reducing funding from $9.3 billion to $4.2 billion.

Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is moving several non-infectious disease programs out of the CDC and into a new entity, the Administration for a Healthy America.

During the role's vacancy, Kennedy also dismissed all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replaced them with his own hand-picked appointees.

Without a director to authorize ACIP decisions, which is required for them to become CDC policy, Kennedy bypassed protocol and enacted the recommendations himself.

In July, he approved the panel's vote to remove thimerosal, a rarely used preservative, from multi-dose flu vaccines and has not signed off on a separate recommendation encouraging routine flu vaccination, breaking with longstanding CDC guidance.

With the CDC's mission being reshaped, Monarez inherits an agency facing decreasing resources and growing political influence. As CDC director, she will be responsible for upholding the agency's scientific integrity and ensuring the agency's recommendations remain evidence-based.

Alivia Kaylor is a scientist and the senior site editor of Pharma Life Sciences.

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