CDC Faces Leadership Exodus Amid Ongoing Agency Commotion

NEW YORK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) experienced significant upheaval on Tuesday as five high-ranking officials announced their departures amid growing challenges for the U.S.’s premier public health organization.
The news was delivered during a gathering of senior leaders at the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta. The agency, consisting of about two dozen distinct centers and offices, is now undergoing a substantial shift as the heads of five of these divisions step down. These resignations follow three other recent departures, indicating that nearly a third of the top management is either leaving or has already departed.
The exits, which are reportedly retirements, were not formally publicized. However, the information was independently verified by two CDC insiders who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic.
These announcements occur shortly after the White House declared the intention to appoint Susan Monarez as the next CDC director. It remains uncertain whether this impending leadership change influenced the decision of these agency heads to resign. Earlier this month, the Trump administration rescinded the nomination of former Florida congressman Dr. David Weldon shortly before a Senate review.
Amidst this leadership turbulence, CDC employees, including their leaders, are apprehensive about potential staff layoffs and a major reorganization, given that the Trump administration is reviewing a workforce reduction plan for the CDC along with other federal health entities. Details of this proposal remain undisclosed.
“The challenges these individuals face daily are immense,” commented Jason Schwartz, a health policy researcher at Yale University who focuses on government health operations. “The CDC’s future is precarious, by any measure. It’s understandable why individuals might prefer to move on rather than see the agency’s capacity and resources diminished.”
The loss of seasoned leaders poses another hurdle for an already embattled agency, Schwartz added.
The most recent resignations include:
— Leslie Ann Dauphin, who manages the Public Health Infrastructure Center with over 500 staff members. This center plays a critical role in coordinating funding, strategic planning, and providing technical support to state, local, and territorial health departments.
— Dr. Karen Remley, head of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, which employs over 220 full-time workers.
— Sam Posner, leading the Office of Science with more than 100 employees focusing on research and science policy, and production of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
— Debra Lubar, in charge of the 65-person Office of Policy, Performance, and Evaluation.
— Leandris Liburd, who directs the Office of Health Equity, initiated in 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s leading mortality rates among Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations.
In addition, Kevin Griffis, the CDC’s chief of communications, recently left the agency. This follows the exits of Robin Bailey, the former chief operating officer, and Dr. Nirav Shah, a previous CDC principal deputy director who led agency communication during the animal-to-human bird flu epidemic, which affected at least 70 people domestically.
The CDC, operating with a core budget exceeding $9 billion, is entrusted with safeguarding the nation against disease outbreaks and public health risks. At the start of the year, it comprised over 13,000 staff and nearly 13,000 additional contractors. In February, around 550 probationary roles were cut; however, these dismissals faced legal challenges, resulting in two federal judges mandating their reinstatement. Despite these orders, affected employees have reported delays in reappointment, although administrative leave pay has been extended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, complying with court directives.
“Who can say what the CDC will resemble in the near future, or several years from now,” Schwartz remarked. Given the current uncertainties, it is comprehensible why senior leaders might wish to avoid remaining under such volatile conditions.
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This news piece is developed independently from an exclusive group receiving support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ensuring content integrity by the authors themselves.