President Donald Trump chose Susan Monarez, the current acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to lead the agency forward on Monday.
Here are six things to do about this nomination.
- The nomination replaces the nomination that the White House withdrew on March 13. The initial physician Trump chose and former Republican Congressman Dave Weldon led the CDC.
Weldon, who is skeptical about the vaccine, said he was told that the Senate vote was insufficient to confirm his nomination.
- Monarez has served as acting director of the CDC since January 23.
Prior to this position, she was Deputy Director of the Advanced Research Projects Bureau (ARPA-H). ARPA-H is an institution in HHS dedicated to advancing high-risk, advanced research in the fields of biomedical and healthcare.
- Monarez has worked in government agencies for about 20 years. In addition to CDC and ARPA-H, she has served in the Department of Homeland Security and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Monarez's most experience working with the federal government has been committed to strengthening the country's preparation and response to biological, chemical and other health-related threats.
- If confirmed, Monares will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was identified as HHS secretary last month.
President Trump wrote in the “Social Posts in Truth” that the two will work together to prioritize “accountability, high standards and disease prevention.”
- If her nomination is confirmed, Monares will become the first CDC director to be confirmed after Senate approval. Congress has established a new rule in 2022 that requires the Senate to confirm the role of CDC director.
- Monarez will be the first non-physicist to lead the CDC for more than 50 years. Although not a doctor, she received her PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Photo: Marianvejcik, Getty Images
