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4w ago

CDC’s No. 2, Ralph Abraham, Resigns After Three Months

The abrupt exit deepens leadership turnover at the agency, with NIH chief Jay Bhattacharya serving as acting director.

Then-Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-La., at the Capitol in 2017.
Ralph Abraham speaks at an event in in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in March 2019.
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Overview

  • The CDC said the resignation is effective immediately and cited "unforeseen family obligations."
  • Abraham, previously Louisiana’s surgeon general, had ordered state officials in 2025 to stop promoting mass vaccination.
  • NIH director Jay Bhattacharya has been leading the CDC in an acting capacity since Feb. 18.
  • Several recent leadership changes have unsettled the agency, including the ouster of Director Susan Monarez in August and the end of Jim O’Neill’s acting tenure.
  • The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, ACIP, canceled its Feb. 25–27 meeting this week.