Senate Confirms Susan Monarez as CDC Director

Last week, the Senate voted to confirm Susan Monarez as director for CDC. Monarez becomes the first nonphysician to lead the agency in more than 50 years. She holds a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Monarez, who had been serving as CDC’s acting director since Jan. 23, will also serve as the administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a non-regulatory, environmental public health agency overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

At her nomination hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in June, Sen. Andy Kim questioned Monarez about cuts made in February to staff of the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, which is administered by NIOSH. Monarez referred to the program as “a critical, vital function that the CDC performs” but said she “was not involved in that decision making” and “not aware of any of those staffing changes that transpired during that period of time or the budget processes.”

Monarez’s previous experience includes serving as deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a funding agency within HHS intended to support biomedical and health research. According to an HHS press release, Monarez “transformed the HHS operating division’s data collection, disease detection and treatment technologies” during her time at ARPA-H.

More information about Monarez is available from the CDC website and an HHS press release.