Loss of expert career officials raise fears about the nation’s ability to respond to emerging disease threats
For Immediate Release: August 29, 2025
Contact: Elizabeth Finley, [email protected], 919-749-7309
Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, three expert scientific leaders left CDC along with Senate-confirmed CDC Director Susan Monarez. Among the leaders who submitted their resignations after the ouster of Dr. Monarez were Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, head of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Debra Houry, CDC Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Daskalakis is a longtime infectious disease and sexual health expert who co-led the White House’s response to the 2022 Mpox Outbreak. Dr. Jernigan led the center that provides the first response to emerging outbreaks like mpox or sexually transmitted ringworm before management of those outbreaks is coordinated by other expert divisions at CDC. Elizabeth Finley, the Interim Executive Director at The National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) issued the following statement:
“No vision of the CDC or public health is served by the loss of expert scientific leadership. The American people need a CDC that can respond to emerging outbreaks and monitor disease threats to the public, and it must have leadership from career expert scientists who have the knowledge and skills to protect Americans and keep them healthy and safe from harm.”
“It is discouraging to see the exodus of scientific leadership this week, including from divisions that coordinate some of our most important responses to emerging threats. While there are differing views on what a future CDC should look like, not a single one of those views is possible to make real if we do not have strong expert scientific leaders at the helm.”
“It’s imperative that the administration and Congress insist on qualified CDC leadership that has the skills, scientific knowledge, and experience required to protect Americans and execute the CDC‘s mission to respond to emerging infectious disease threats,” said Elizabeth Finley, Interim Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD).
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