Jennifer Shuford, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s deputy director and chief medical officer, will leave the agency Nov. 12 after six months in the Trump administration, as the CDC continues navigating leadership changes and disputes over federal vaccine policy.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Dr. Jennifer Shuford, one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s highest-ranking medical officials, announced her resignation Tuesday, ending a six-month tenure during a period of significant changes to the agency’s leadership and public health policies.
Shuford, who serves as deputy director and chief medical officer, is scheduled to leave Nov. 12, following the Nov. 3 midterm elections. She attributed her decision to family considerations and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve under President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I am leaving to spend more time with my family,” Shuford said in a statement distributed through CDC Director Erica Schwartz and reported by The Washington Post.
“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.”
Schwartz praised Shuford’s service, acknowledging the demands placed on senior leadership during her tenure.
“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 said in an internal agency email obtained by The Guardian.
Dr. Satish Pillai will serve as acting deputy director and chief medical officer while the agency searches for a permanent replacement.
Shuford joined the CDC in April as part of a four-member leadership team appointed to strengthen the agency’s management and restore public confidence following earlier personnel changes.
The team also included Schwartz, health care executive Sean Slovenski and Food and Drug Administration official Sara Brenner.
Before her federal appointment, Shuford served as commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, overseeing infectious disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and statewide public health programs.
She previously worked as Texas’ chief state epidemiologist and as an infectious disease physician in Austin.
According to her official CDC biography, Shuford joined the Texas health department in 2017 and played a significant role in public health responses involving COVID-19 and measles.
Her medical credentials include a degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, an internal medicine residency at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and an infectious diseases fellowship at the Mayo Clinic.
She also earned a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University and holds board certifications in internal medicine and infectious diseases.
Her appointment to the CDC was welcomed by public health officials familiar with her previous work, particularly her experience responding to infectious disease outbreaks.
However, her departure comes amid disagreements over the Trump administration’s approach to vaccination policy and the CDC’s scientific recommendations.
The Washington Post reported that one person familiar with Shuford’s decision attributed her departure to a family health matter, while another said she disagreed with the administration’s handling of vaccine policy.
Shuford did not cite those disagreements in her public statement, and the accounts do not establish that vaccine policy prompted her resignation.
The CDC has undergone several leadership changes since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Former CDC Director Susan Monarez departed after less than a month in the position amid disagreements with Kennedy over vaccine recommendations and the agency’s scientific oversight responsibilities.
Monarez and her attorneys accused the administration of pressuring her to approve policies without sufficient scientific review. Administration officials defended their authority to establish public health priorities and make personnel decisions.
Kennedy has also made significant changes to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, replacing its previous members as part of a broader effort to revise federal vaccine guidance.
The changes have generated criticism from medical organizations and public health researchers concerned about the independence of vaccine recommendations.
Administration officials have maintained that the revisions are intended to improve transparency, strengthen scientific oversight and restore public trust.
More recently, Trump proposed separating certain combination childhood vaccines into individual doses, a move that has prompted discussion among pediatricians and public health organizations about potential consequences for vaccination schedules.
According to Reuters, Shuford’s planned departure became public as the agency continued implementing those changes.
The CDC also faces ongoing challenges involving measles outbreaks, workforce reductions and the maintenance of federal disease surveillance programs.
Shuford’s experience managing Texas’ public health response to measles had been considered particularly relevant to the agency’s infectious disease responsibilities.
As deputy director and chief medical officer, she provided clinical and scientific guidance across the CDC’s domestic and international health programs while advising its director on medical priorities.
Her departure will leave another senior position requiring a permanent appointment at an agency responsible for monitoring infectious diseases, coordinating outbreak responses and issuing national public health recommendations.
The CDC has not announced a permanent successor.
For now, Pillai will assume the responsibilities on an acting basis after Shuford’s final day.
Shuford has publicly framed her departure as a personal decision, closing her brief tenure with an expression of gratitude toward the administration despite the broader policy disputes surrounding the agency.
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