The top US health director who stood up for science — and was fired
Article Meta
Article Date: 08 December 2025
Article URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03838-3
Article Image: Portrait of Susan Monarez
Summary
Susan Monarez, a career microbiologist and immunologist, was appointed director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but was dismissed less than a month into the role. According to Monarez, she was fired after refusing orders from US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr to sack leading CDC scientists and to pre-approve vaccine recommendations without proper scientific review. Kennedy disputes her version, saying he removed her because she told him she was not trustworthy.
The episode prompted the CDC’s top medical officer, Debra Houry, and three other senior scientists to resign in protest. The conflict unfolded publicly at congressional hearings and forms part of a broader pattern of actions by the administration that critics say have disrupted US science — including cancelled grants, mass firings, blocked funding and replacement of advisory panels with vaccine critics.
Author
By Max Kozlov. Punchy take: this is a high-stakes clash between scientific integrity and political direction at the nation’s leading public-health agency — and the fallout matters for vaccine policy and public trust.
Key Points
- Susan Monarez, a non-partisan career scientist, was appointed CDC director and removed within a month.
- Monarez says she was sacked for refusing to carry out orders that would bypass scientific review on vaccine advice and to dismiss senior scientists.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr disputes Monarez’s account and framed her removal as a trust issue.
- Senior CDC staff resigned in protest, and the dispute played out in congressional hearings.
- The incident sits within broader administration actions that have included cancelled grants, researcher firings and replacement of scientific advisors with vaccine critics.
- Monarez had planned to modernise CDC data systems to deliver localised, evidence-based recommendations.
Context and Relevance
This story is significant because it illustrates a direct challenge to the independence of a major public-health institution. Changes at the CDC could affect vaccine policy, pandemic preparedness and public confidence in health guidance. The article links Monarez’s firing to wider policy shifts that critics argue undermine scientific processes across US research and public-health agencies.
Why should I read this?
Want the short version: this is where science, politics and public health collide. If you care about vaccines, trust in health institutions, or how scientific advice is turned into policy — this explains why the CDC is suddenly in the headlines and why that matters for everyone.