Dr. Jennifer Shuford, appointed by Donald Trump as deputy director and chief medical officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in April, will resign on November 12, after the midterm elections. Shuford stated she is leaving to spend more time with her family, and expressed gratitude to Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the opportunity to lead at the CDC. Her departure follows less than a month after the previous CDC director, Susan Monarez, resigned, citing concerns about Kennedy’s “unscientific” directives. Shuford’s appointment was part of a four-person leadership team intended to stabilize the agency, which has faced significant changes under Kennedy, including the firing of all members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel and alterations to vaccine messaging. The CDC has also experienced a one-third reduction in its workforce and is currently responding to 48 measles outbreaks across the US. Dr. Satish Pillai will serve as acting deputy director during the search for a successor.
The appointments of Shuford and the other leaders were lauded by public health officials, including the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), who knew Shuford from her time as Texas health commissioner. Trump had described the team as possessing “the knowledge, experience, and TOP degrees to restore the GOLD STANDARD OF SCIENCE at the CDC.” However, since Shuford’s arrival, Kennedy has implemented changes that have undermined vaccine trust and access, prompting criticism from groups like the Autism Science Foundation. Despite these changes, the majority of Americans continue to trust vaccines.
Our reading is that this resignation, following so closely on the heels of the previous director’s, signals significant internal disruption at the CDC. While Shuford cites family reasons, the context of Kennedy’s changes, including the firing of the vaccine advisory panel and alterations to vaccine messaging, suggests a deeper disagreement over the agency’s direction. The stated continued trust in vaccines among the majority of Americans seems to contrast with the actions taken by Kennedy, potentially creating an untenable situation for leadership.
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