Jim O’Neill has been chosen to serve as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a source familiar with the matter confirmed Thursday — one day after the CDC’s Senate-confirmed leader was ousted.
A former tech investor, O’Neill currently serves as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, working under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
He will take over the CDC after a tumultuous 24 hours for the Atlanta-based public health agency. Susan Monarez was terminated by the White House after just weeks on the job Wednesday, leading her lawyers to argue that only President Trump can lawfully fire her. They also allege Monarez was “targeted” for resisting “unscientific, reckless directives.”
Several other top CDC leaders also resigned, in some cases criticizing the Trump administration’s views on vaccines or cuts to the agency.
O’Neill has served as deputy HHS secretary since June, after working at the agency during former President George W. Bush’s administration. His HHS biography credits him with leading reforms at the Food and Drug Administration to “overhaul food safety regulations” in the late 2000s.
O’Neill previously worked in the orbit of Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and GOP megadonor. He served as CEO of the nonprofit Thiel Foundation, and he co-founded the Thiel Fellowship, a scholarship program that offers $200,000 to college-age entrepreneurs who agree to stay out of school, according to his HHS bio. O’Neill also worked at Thiel’s hedge fund, Clarium Capital.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
