Since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, leadership at some of the nation’s most critical agencies underwent eye-catching amounts of turnover.
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Agencies such as FDA, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Health and Human Services (HHS), and The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) have remained in the headlines due to continuous leadership changes, ranging from retirements and step-downs to firings and internal reorganizations.
Some leadership changes are accredited to the administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, which was launched by President Trump to confront chronic disease, improve nutrition, and lower healthcare costs.1
The agenda aims to prioritize prevention over treatment while providing families with better information and choices to ensure a healthier future for the next generation of Americans, according to a report from The White House.1
Who was originally appointed at key leadership positions?
At the start of his second term, President Trump initially named Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay as acting director of CDER, Dr. Marty Makary as FDA Commissioner, Dr. Dave Weldon as director of CDC, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of HHS.
Currently, only two of the original members remain in their positions, with the administration withdrawing its nomination for Dr. Weldon just hours before his confirmation hearing, potentially foreshadowing the turnover to come.
Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay retires as director of CDER
Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay began her short term as acting director of CDER January 18th, 2025, when previous director Patrizia Cavazzoni elected to step down from the position before President Trump took office.
Just six months following her appointment, Corrigan-Curay announced her retirement, breaking the news in an email that was shared with STAT News.2 In the email, Corrigan-Curay says, “I do not mean to let anyone down, but I believe I need to follow my instincts.”
Following the announcement, Dr. George Tidmarsh was appointed as her successor.
George Tidmarsh steps down as head of CDER
Appointed on the heels of Corrigan-Curay’s retirement, George Tidmarsh became director of CDER on July 21st, 2025. Tidmarsh would serve as the head of CDER until October 31st, 2025 when he was placed on administrative leave due to concerns around his personal conduct, according to HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard.
On November 2, 2025, Tidmarsh officially resigned from the position with conflicting reports as to why he decided to step away.
According to a report from ABC News, Tidmarsh’s decision to step down stemmed a “toxic environment” at the agency.
Following Tidmarsh’s decision to step down, Richard Pazdur was named acting director of CDER.
Richard Pazdur retires as acting director of CDER
Richard Pazdur, MD, was appointed as director of CDER on November 11th, 2025 by both HHS and FDA, and even received positive recognition from FDA director Dr. Makary during his appointment.
“Dr. Pazdur is a true regulatory innovator who will help guide our broader agenda to modernize the agency and streamline the approval process, He has a track record of success and is an impressive forward-thinking scientist,” said Dr. Makary.
Dr. Pazdur then surprised everyone just weeks after his appointment, announcing his decision to retire. According to a report from CNN, Dr. Pazdur’s decision to retire came from mounting frustration with both Dr. Prasad and Dr. Makary, along with personal reservations regarding the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher Program.9
On the heels of Dr. Pazdur’s unexpected retirement, FDA appointed Tracy Beth Høeg as acting director of CDER.
Tracy Beth Høeg appointed as acting director of CDER
On December 3rd, 2025, FDA appointed Tracy Beth Høeg as acting director of CDER based on the agency’s beliefs that she could “help modernize the drug division.”10
Before joining FDA, Dr. Høeg was a physician and epidemiologist, practicing physical and interventional spine and sports medicine, and similar to her predecessor, received praise from FDA commissioner Dr.Makary.
“Dr. Høeg is the right scientist to fully modernize CDER and finish the job of establishing a culture of cross-center coordination there,” said Dr. Makary.
Her appointment marks the fifth person to hold the title of director of CDER this year, and as of April 2026, Dr. Høeg remains the acting director of CDER with no set date for permanent appointment currently scheduled or confirmed.
Susan Monarez’s removal as head of CDC
Following the Trump administration’s decision to pull its nomination of Dr. Weldon at the last second due to insufficient support from the Senate, President Trump nominated Susan Monarez, PhD.
Dr. Monarez was the first head of CDC to be voted on by senators and served as acting director from January 2025 until her confirmation on July 31st, 2025.4 Less than a month following her confirmation, Dr. Monarez was removed from the position, making her the agency’s shortest-serving director in history.
Dr. Monarez’s lawyers refuted her removal and proceeded to take action after the official HHS Xaccount posted that Monarez was no longer director, with Monarez’s lawyers claiming that President Trump would have to be the one to officially remove her.
After all the controversy, Dr. Monarez was officially removed from her position and Jim O’Neill was appointed as acting director of CDC.4
Jim O’Neill steps down as acting director of CDC
On the heels of Dr. Monarez’s removal, Jim O’Neill was named acting director of CDC in August 2025 and served concurrently also as deputy secretary of HHS. For six months O’Neill served in both positions before he decided to step away in February 2026.
Several components lead to O’Neill’s departure, including HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.’s decision to restructure HHS leadership to improve public messaging and refocus policy priorities, along with O’Neill approaching the legal 210-day limit for temporary non-nominated positions.
Acting director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dr. Jay Bhattacharya was named acting director of CDC following O’Neill’s departure.
Jay Bhattacharya remains acting director of CDC
As of April 2026, Dr. Bhattacharya remains the acting director of CDC following The White House’s decision to delay its nomination for a new permanent director for the agency.
Dr. Bhattacharya’s temporary appointment expired in the week of March 23rd, 2026, and he will no longer hold the official acting director title, though he will continue overseeing the agency by performing the delegable duties of the CDC director, according to Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.11
With over a year passing since his second presidential inaugural, the CDC has had a permanent leader for less than a month of Trump's second term.
Vinay Prasad’s back and forth as head of CBER
One of the more eye-catching leadership changes came from FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), which saw Vinay Prasad, MD, PhD, leave the position twice in less than a year.
Prasad was appointed as head of CBER back in May of 2025. Just two months later, Prasad elected to step down from the position because he “did not want to be a distraction,” a spokesman for the FDA told STAT News.5
Then in early August, Prasad was reappointed his position as head of CBER at the request of FDA commissioner Dr. Makary.
In March 2026, Prasad made headlines again as he announced his decision to step down for a second time, with unconfirmed reports surfacing that Prasad’s decision came from mounting pressure from President Trump.
Prasad is set to leave the position in April 2026, and a successor is expected to be named before he departs, according to Dr.Makary.
Sources
- Make America Healthy Again The White House Date Accessed March 30, 2026, https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities/maha/
- Top drug regulator is retiring as FDA departures mount STAT News June, 23, 2025 https://www.statnews.com/2025/06/23/fda-cder-acting-director-jacqueline-corrigan-curay-retiring-departures-mount/
- X Post from HHS. HHS. August 27, 2025. https://x.com/hhsgov/status/1960818490614415869
- CDC director Susan Monarez fired by Trump administration after refusing to resign, citing 'reckless directives.’ NBC News. August 27, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-director-monarez-out-confirmed-rfk-jr-rcna227620
- Vinay Prasad, a powerful FDA official, departs after controversy over rare disease drug STAT News July 29, 2025 https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/vinay-prasad-exits-fda-marty-makary-cber-director-chief-medical-scientific-officer/
- FDA vaccine chief to leave the agency for a second time. NBC News. March 6, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-vaccine-chief-leave-second-time-rcna262170
- Stanford faculty member George Tidmarsh, M.D., Ph.D. named Director of Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. FDA. July 21, 2025 https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/stanford-faculty-member-george-tidmarsh-md-phd-named-director-center-drug-evaluation-and-research
- FDA's top drug regulator placed on leave, considering resigning, citing 'toxic' environment. ABC News. November 2, 2025. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fdas-top-drug-regulator-leave-resigning-citing-toxic/story?id=127119927
- FDA’s top drug officer set to exit, weeks into new role CNN December 2, 2025 https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/02/health/fda-departure-pazdur
- FDA Announces Leadership Appointments at Center for Drug Evaluation and Research U.S. Food and Drug Administration December 3, 2025 https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-announces-leadership-appointments-center-drug-evaluation-and-research
- White House holds off on CDC pick as search for permanent chief continues The Washington Post March 25, 2026 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/03/25/cdc-nomination-delayed-jay-bhattacharya/