CDC vaccine chief resigns after Director Susan Monarez removal

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine chief, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, has resigned in protest following ouster of CDC director Susan Monarez.

The renowned American physician called it systematic dismantling of scientific integrity under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Daskalakis, one of the nation's most visible public health leaders, announced his immediate exit on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 evening and accused the administration of generating policies designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.

The 53-year-old health activist turned to official X and announced: "I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate materials that do not reflect scientific reality."

Ex-director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases also mentioned: “Secretary RFK Jr. and his staff views challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency.”

Harvard University alum resignation comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent decision to narrow COVID-19 vaccine suitability, restricting updated shots almost exclusively to senior citizens and people with serious health conditions.

The American Academy of Pediatrics immediately denounced the new restrictions as deeply troubling.

The largest professional association of pediatricians in the United States warned the policy shift risks raising health concerns in families and sabotaging vaccine assurance during critical seasonal respiratory illness.