Additional Coverage:
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya Takes Helm as Acting CDC Director Amidst Agency Turmoil
WASHINGTON D.C. – Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, currently the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been appointed as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a White House official and sources close to the matter.
Dr. Bhattacharya will maintain his responsibilities at the NIH until a permanent CDC director is formally nominated and confirmed.
This move marks the third individual to lead the CDC since last summer, highlighting a period of significant upheaval for the nation’s premier public health agency. Dr.
Bhattacharya steps in for Jim O’Neill, who served as acting director from late August 2025 until last week. O’Neill is now slated for nomination as the next head of the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Bhattacharya gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic as a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, published in October 2020.
This declaration advocated for avoiding widespread lockdowns and instead proposed a strategy focused on protecting vulnerable individuals while allowing most of the population to resume normal activities, aiming for natural herd immunity. The proposal faced strong criticism from many in public health, including Dr.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, who deemed it “unethical” and a risk to public safety. Dr.
Bhattacharya continued to voice opposition to lockdowns, mask mandates, and COVID-19 vaccine passports before being appointed to lead the NIH by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The recent leadership changes follow a turbulent period for the CDC. Dr.
Susan Monarez, confirmed as CDC director in July, held the position for less than a month before being reportedly fired by Secretary Kennedy. Sources indicate her dismissal was due to her alleged refusal to endorse the health secretary’s vaccine agenda or to terminate high-ranking CDC officials he opposed.
This controversy led to both Kennedy and Monarez testifying before Senate committees.
In a September 2025 Senate hearing, Dr. Monarez stated she was fired by President Trump and Secretary Kennedy for “holding the line on scientific integrity.” Secretary Kennedy, in his own Senate panel appearance earlier that month, disputed Monarez’s account, denying that he pressured her to accept vaccine recommendations without scientific backing and claiming she was dismissed partly because she expressed untrustworthiness.
Following Dr. Monarez’s departure, O’Neill, then HHS deputy secretary, was named acting CDC director. During his tenure, the CDC made decisions to reduce the recommended number of vaccines for children and to remove the universal recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
The ongoing leadership shakeup and policy shifts at the CDC have drawn widespread criticism from medical organizations and public health groups. Concerns have been raised regarding the agency’s handling of major infectious disease outbreaks, changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, and funding cuts.
The National Public Health Coalition (NPHC), an organization comprising current and former HHS employees, released a statement expressing “disappointment” with Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration. The statement highlighted a lack of transparency, noting that CDC staff learned of Dr. Bhattacharya’s appointment, as well as O’Neill’s removal, through media reports rather than internal communication.
The NPHC further asserted that Dr. Bhattacharya’s role as acting director is merely nominal, with Secretary Kennedy “pulling the strings, deciding the health priorities on a whim, and cutting out public health professionals.”
The coalition described the CDC as being in “turmoil,” with staff morale at an all-time low. “Staff are losing hope that they will have a permanent CDC Director, let alone one who is qualified to lead the agency,” the NPHC statement concluded, urging the administration to nominate a qualified director immediately.