Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya will continue to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while the White House searches for a permanent director, a Health Department spokesperson said. The CDC's leadership has been unsettled since the dismissal of Susan Monarez last August, followed by brief tenures for Jim O'Neill and then Bhattacharya. The Washington Post reports about six candidates are under consideration, including Ernie Fletcher, Daniel Edney and Joseph Marine.
Acting CDC Chief Jay Bhattacharya To Remain In Charge As White House Seeks Permanent Director
FILE PHOTO: Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director and acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arrives to testify before a U.S. House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee oversight hearing on the National Institutes of Health, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo
March 25 (Reuters) - Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya will continue to oversee the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while the White House continues its search for a permanent director, a Health Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The agency has been navigating a period of leadership uncertainty since President Donald Trump dismissed former Director Susan Monarez last August after she opposed proposed vaccine policy changes put forward by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the spokesperson said. Monarez was succeeded by Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill, who was in turn replaced by National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya in February.
"Dr. Bhattacharya will continue to oversee the CDC by performing the delegable duties of the CDC director," the spokesperson said, adding that Kennedy and HHS Chief Counselor Chris Klomp are coordinating with the White House on the search for a permanent CDC director.
The Washington Post reported the development earlier in the day. The Post also reported on Sunday that roughly six candidates were being considered for the role, including former Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, Mississippi health director Daniel Edney and cardiologist Joseph Marine.
The administration has not announced a timeline for naming a permanent director. For now, Bhattacharya will remain in the acting post and carry out the duties that can be delegated to him while the formal selection process continues.
(Reporting by Christian Martinez in Los Angeles, Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto and Mariam Sunny and Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Daphne Psaledakis and Rod Nickel)
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