Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya will remain in charge of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services pursue a candidate to fill the post permanently, a Health Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The spokesperson said Dr. Bhattacharya will "continue to oversee the CDC by performing the delegable duties of the CDC director." They also said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and HHS chief counselor Chris Klomp are coordinating with the White House on the search for a permanent director.
The CDC has experienced sustained leadership uncertainty in recent months. The agency's prior director, Susan Monarez, was removed from her position in August after she objected to proposed changes to vaccine policy advanced by Health Secretary Kennedy. Following Monarez's departure, Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill was installed as a replacement.
That arrangement was later altered in February when National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya succeeded O'Neill as the acting head of the CDC.
The Washington Post reported the developments earlier on Wednesday. In a separate report published on Sunday, the Post said about six individuals were under consideration for the permanent CDC leadership post; those reportedly included former Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, Mississippi health director Daniel Edney and cardiologist Joseph Marine.
The Health Department's confirmation that Bhattacharya will continue to perform the CDC director's delegable duties leaves the agency operating under interim leadership as officials work through the candidate evaluation process with the White House. The spokesperson did not provide a timeline for selecting a permanent director or further details on the ongoing search.
Contextual note - The statements by the Health Department clarify current responsibilities at the CDC but do not specify the scope or duration of those delegable duties beyond the description provided by the spokesperson.