CDC’s deputy director to depart after four months in the role

Less than five months into her tenure as the deputy director and chief medical officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Jennifer Shuford will leave the agency next month, a spokesperson said. Her exit is the latest example of the leadership churn that has roiled the country’s top health agencies under the Trump administration. Shuford’s last day will be Nov. 12, the CDC spokesperson said. In a statement provided on Shuford’s behalf, she said she was leaving to spend more time with her family. “I am so thankful to President Trump and Secretary Kennedy for giving me the opportunity to help lead CDC. It has been an amazing experience and I will be forever grateful for it,” she said. The spokesperson said Satish Pillai, who leads the agency’s Ebola response, will serve as acting deputy director and chief medical officer while the CDC looks for a permanent successor. President Donald Trump announced in April that Shuford had been appointed to CDC leadership, and she started her dual roles in June. Previously, she was Texas’ chief state epidemiologist during the Covid pandemic, then was appointed in 2022 to be commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. In that role, she oversaw the response to the measles outbreak centered in West Texas last year, which led to more than 750 cases and the deaths of two school-age children. The CDC has lost several top leaders over the last year and a half. The agency went without a permanent director for about a year after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired CDC Director Susan Monarez in August 2025, just 29 days into the role. The Senate confirmed the current director, Dr. Erica Schwartz, in August. In February, the CDC’s principal deputy director, Dr. Ralph Abraham, stepped down, and Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, announced her departure in June. The agency also saw a wave of departures last year after Monarez’s firing: Four senior officials resigned, three of whom cited concerns about political interference in the CDC’s scientific process. FOR SUBSCRIBERS2026 midterms become most expensive election cycle ever FOR SUBSCRIBERSCould Trump be the Republican president to lose Texas? FOR SUBSCRIBERSWant cheap, high-quality meat? Hunt your own game FOR SUBSCRIBERSBenjamin Netanyahu battles for political survival FOR SUBSCRIBERS2026 midterms become most expensive election cycle ever FOR SUBSCRIBERSCould Trump be the Republican president to lose Texas? FOR SUBSCRIBERSWant cheap, high-quality meat? Hunt your own game FOR SUBSCRIBERSBenjamin Netanyahu battles for political survival Schwartz announced Shuford’s departure in an email to staff Tuesday morning, which was viewed by NBC News. “I am deeply grateful for Dr. Shuford’s outstanding leadership and commitment to CDC and public health, especially as she has navigated an exceptionally demanding, high-profile, and constantly evolving environment over the past several months,” Schwartz wrote. Other federal health agencies have also undergone major leadership shake-ups this year. Calley Means, a central advocate for Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, resigned last week from his senior adviser role at the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Marty Makary also resigned in May from his role as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration after opposing the Trump administration’s moves to expand access to flavored e-cigarettes. The same month, the FDA’s vaccine chief stepped down, and the leader of the FDA division regulating over-the-counter and prescription drugs said she had been fired.