On Jul. 31, 2025, Susan Monarez, Ph.D., was sworn in as Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Director Monarez most recently served as Acting Director of CDC and Deputy Director for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, where she transformed the HHS operating division’s data collection, disease detection and treatment technologies. She has held previous leadership and advisory roles with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority at HHS, the Department of Homeland Security, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Security Council.

Director Monarez earned her PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she conducted research on developing technologies aimed at the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases. She completed her postdoctoral research fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine.