Dr. Susan Monarez has been tapped as the new nominee to serve as the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after the abrupt withdrawal of Dr. Dave Weldon’s nomination earlier this month. While Weldon—a former Republican Congressman from Florida and medical doctor—was seen as a skeptic of the public health establishment and the pharmaceutical industry’s influence over government, the decision to replace him with Dr. Monarez raises concerns that serious reform of the CDC is being abandoned.
Currently the acting director of the CDC, Dr. Susan Monarez does represent a slight departure from traditional director nominees in that she is not a medical doctor. Instead, the federal government scientist holds a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology.
Additionally, Monarez—who joined the federal government in 2006—has not worked in traditional public health policy roles. Instead, the government scientist has primarily worked with the National Security Council, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Before moving to the CDC, Dr. Monarez was the deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), where she oversaw research into artificial intelligence (AI) and health technology.
A SWAMPY CHOICE.
Monarez’s resume objectively suggests she is an unusually ‘swampy’ choice to be elevated to a position that will require spearheading significant policy reform. Her potential ties to entrenched intelligence community and technology interests could draw scrutiny from lawmakers during her Senate confirmation hearing. Additionally, her nomination has received concerning praise from public health officials tied to the former Biden government’s COVID-19 response, notably from Dr. Tom Inglesby of Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Inglesby, who directs the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, advised the Biden government on its COVID-19 response and consulted with the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD). After Monarez’s nomination as CDC Director was announced yesterday, Inglesby praised the choice, calling Monarez “a very good scientist and a very capable person.” He added: “She’s very committed to public health and good government. Politics is not her thing… I think she will be a strong leader for the CDC.”
Ultimately, Dr. Monarez’s nomination likely resulted from her being a safe choice following Senate Republican resistance to the Weldon nomination over his views on potential links between vaccines and autism. In a statement on the withdrawal, Weldon said he believed opposition from Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) likely sunk his nomination.