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Susan Monarez has been forced out of her role as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just weeks after her Senate confirmation, in what is the latest in a string of major departures from the beleaguered agency.

The first news of her departure was reported by The Washington Post, based on interviews with several Trump administration officials. Ars Technica reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which confirmed her ouster, pointing to a statement on its official X account. It read:

Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. @SecKennedy has full confidence in his team at @CDCgov, who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.”

The post did not offer a reason for her ouster. The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal anti-vaccine advocate, had repeatedly berated Monarez over her handling of COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy reportedly asked her to rescind approvals for the vaccines, which she refused to do without first consulting the CDC’s vaccine advisory committees. Kennedy then asked her to resign, accusing her of undermining Trump’s agenda.

Monarez refused to resign. Instead, she reached out to Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La. ), who had been instrumental in Kennedy’s own Senate confirmation earlier in the year after extracting promises from him. Cassidy pushed back on Kennedy’s demands, setting off a row between the two. Administration officials then told Monarez she had to resign or be fired.

In a social media post, her lawyers Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell stated that Monarez has not resigned and has not been given a formal notice of dismissal from the White House. “Her ouster came after she refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts,” the statement read. “She chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda.” Zaid later told Ars Technica that as of 8:15 p.m. ET on August 27, Monarez had yet to receive any official word of termination.

CDC at a Breaking Point

Monarez’s confirmation at the end of July had been viewed as a major win. She was confirmed 51–47 in a strictly partisan vote and was the first CDC director ever to undergo Senate confirmation following a 2022 law mandating it. Kennedy himself administered her oath on July 31, lauding her “unimpeachable scientific credentials” and her commitment to restoring the CDC’s integrity.

Her credentials were strong and extensive. Monarez has a PhD in microbiology and immunology. She was deputy director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) under the Biden administration. She also served at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the Department of Homeland Security, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Security Council. Monarez also served as the acting director of the CDC briefly earlier this year until her resignation in the time before she was formally nominated by Trump.

Public health experts had praised her as a fit for the role. Jennifer Nuzzo of Brown University said she was “a loyal, hardworking civil servant who leads with evidence and pragmatism.” Georges Benjamin, head of the American Public Health Association, said Monarez had strong research experience and the ability to manage effectively.

Her tenure was brief, however, and ended against the backdrop of a public health agency in turmoil. The CDC has experienced significant turnover, with staff being laid off or taking buyouts in the hundreds. Many programs have been cut or obstructed. Kennedy himself has not helped matters, making headlines by calling COVID-19 vaccines “the deadliest vaccine ever made” and describing the CDC as “a cesspool of corruption.”

On August 8, tragedy hit when a man radicalized by vaccine misinformation shot up the CDC campus. He fired almost 500 rounds, hitting six separate CDC buildings with about 200. One local police officer was killed, nd terrified CDC staff ran for cover. The shooter had pinned his own health issues on vaccines and had an obsession with attacking the CDC.

The news of Monarez’s reported ouster has only worsened the agency’s crisis. Stat News reported the resignations of three more high-ranking officials: Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Deb Houry, CDC’s Chief Medical Officer; and Demetre Daskalakis, who led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Daskalakis, in his farewell post, wrote, “I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponization of public health.” Houry’s parting note emphasized the importance of science never being “censored or subject to political interpretations.”

Hours earlier, Politico reported that Jennifer Layden, who had been running the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, had also resigned.

For many in and outside of the CDC, the development is a nadir for the once hallowed halls of what was long seen as the model of an evidence-based public health agency. Instead, it faces further resignations, interference in its work, and a crisis of confidence at a time when the public health landscape is fraught.