California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that two former high-ranking Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials, Susan Monarez and Deb Houry, will serve as public health advisers for a major new state initiative.
Both Monarez, former CDC director, and Houry, former chief medical officer at the CDC, either resigned from or were dismissed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. due to disagreements with his public health policies.
Driving the news: Deb Houry was one of several CDC officials who resigned earlier in the year, publicly protesting Kennedy’s alleged weaponization of public health.
- Susan Monarez was terminated by Kennedy less than a month after her confirmation as CDC director, citing her refusal to approve changes to vaccine policy as the main reason for her ouster; Kennedy contested this, telling lawmakers she could not be trusted.
The big picture: The two former CDC leaders will now join the California Department of Public Health to help launch the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX), a new state-led public health modernization project.
- According to Newsom’s office, PHNIX is designed to modernize public health infrastructure, bolster trust in science-based policymaking, and promote collaboration both within California and beyond state lines.
What they’re saying: Newsom said that PHNIX “will bring together the best science, the best tools, and the best minds to advance public health,” with the goal of offering not just statewide but national and global leadership on public health issues.
- Katelyn Jetelina, CEO of “Your Local Epidemiologist,” will also join PHNIX, stating that the current chaotic health information environment makes such an initiative critically necessary.
- Monarez emphasized the “extraordinary concentration of talent, technology, and investment” in California, saying her focus will be on modernizing the operation of public health, fostering innovation, and improving resilience for all communities.
- Deb Houry highlighted that California is well-positioned to devise practical, scalable solutions, encouraging collaboration across state and national borders and between private and academic sectors.
What we’re watching: PHNIX will place a major focus on public health preparedness, developing advanced technologies, and funding robust frameworks for the future.
- Key goals include enhancing systems for detecting health trends, protecting individual privacy, integrating artificial intelligence, and fostering multi-state as well as global health partnerships.
