Susan Monarez, Ph.D., was officially sworn in as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 31, 2025. The ceremony was conducted by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Monarez is the first CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate. She brings years of experience in disaster preparedness, biosecurity, and health innovation to her new role. As Director, she will lead efforts to prevent disease and protect against health threats both within the United States and internationally.
Secretary Kennedy stated, “Dr. Monarez is a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials. I have full confidence in her ability to restore the CDC’s role as the most trusted authority in public health and to strengthen our nation’s readiness to confront infectious diseases and biosecurity threats.”
Director Monarez said, “It is a great honor to join Secretary Kennedy and his HHS leadership team. I consider it a privilege to work alongside the public servants at CDC. Together we will strengthen and modernize the nation’s public health preparedness and response through science and innovation. We will work every day at CDC to Make America Healthy Again.”
Before this appointment, Monarez served as Acting Director of CDC and Deputy Director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), where she improved data collection methods as well as disease detection and treatment technologies for the agency. Her previous roles include positions with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority at HHS, Department of Homeland Security, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and National Security Council.
Monarez earned her doctorate in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with research focused on technology development for infectious disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. She completed postdoctoral research at Stanford University School of Medicine.
The CDC’s mission includes providing information on disease prevention whether threats originate domestically or internationally, protecting national security through rapid identification of outbreaks, driving science-based research initiatives across communities nationwide, investing in local programs that aim to improve public health outcomes for all citizens.
