We have each had the honor and privilege of serving as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, either in a permanent or acting capacity, dating back to 1977. Collectively, we spent more than 100 years working at the C.D.C., the world’s pre-eminent public health agency. We served under multiple Republican and Democratic administrations—every president from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump—alongside thousands of dedicated staff members who shared our commitment to saving lives and improving health.
What Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has done to the C.D.C. and to our nation’s public health system over the past several months—culminating in his decision to fire Dr. Susan Monarez as C.D.C. director days ago—is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced.
The above is an excerpt of an op-ed originally published in The New York Times.
Related Content
Government Systems
We’re working to foster a more inclusive, effective, and multiracial democracy.