Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
The CDC's deputy director and chief medical officer, Dr. Jennifer Shuford, has resigned after only four months on the job. While she cited family reasons, anonymous sources say disagreements over the Trump administration's vaccine policies played a role. Her exit comes as the U.S. faces its largest measles surge since 1991.
Dr. Jennifer A. Shuford, the CDC's deputy director and chief medical officer, has stepped down after just four months in the role. Officially, she cited a desire to spend more time with her family, but two anonymous sources told The Washington Post that friction over the Trump administration's vaccine policies was a key factor in her decision.
Her departure lands at a particularly fraught moment: the U.S. is currently experiencing its largest measles outbreak since 1991, and the administration has been pushing to overhaul the childhood immunization schedule and alter the MMR vaccine — moves that have drawn widespread criticism from public health experts. Dr. Satish K. Pillai will step in as interim replacement while HHS searches for a permanent successor.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: Leadership instability at the CDC during an active measles surge and ongoing vaccine policy debates raises serious concerns about the agency's ability to maintain consistent, science-driven public health guidance at a critical time.
