Who Are the Acting Heads of Federal Health Agencies?

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As President Donald Trump’s picks to lead federal health agencies await confirmation hearings, acting directors are now in place at HHS and its major subagencies.

Here’s what we know about who’s currently running the show at these sprawling and influential entities.

Acting HHS Secretary: Dorothy Fink, MD

Fink is deputy assistant secretary for women’s health and director of the Office of Women’s Health in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. She is board certified in endocrinology, internal medicine and pediatrics.

Shortly after her appointment as acting secretary, she said in a memo to agency staff leaders that an “immediate pause” had been ordered on communications, such as regulations, guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts and website postings, until they had been approved by a political appointee.

In a subsequent statement released this week, Fink noted that the HHS Office for Civil Rights would reevaluate its regulations and guidance related to federal religious conscience and exercise laws.

“Consistent with the Executive Order of January 24 (implementing the Hyde Amendment) and guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, the Department will reevaluate all programs, regulations, and guidelines to ensure that federal taxpayer dollars are not used to pay for or promote elective abortion,” the statement read in part.

He also highlighted the United States’ return to the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women’s Health and Strengthening the Family, which is based on the following pillars: better health for women, the preservation of human life, the strengthening of the family as the fundamental unit of society, and the protection of the national sovereignty of every nation.

Fink received his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. Previously, her clinical practice focused on women from adolescence through menopause and later in life, with areas of expertise including diabetes, nutrition and bone health.

Acting NIH Director: Matthew Memoli, MD

At NIH, Memoli directs the Clinical Studies Unit (CSU) at the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID), where much of the research has focused on influenza and respiratory viruses as they relate to vaccines, transmission, and at-risk populations.

“Translating science from the bedside to the laboratory and then back to the bedside in the form of a product that can prevent or treat infection is an extremely important part of developing future effective vaccines and treatments,” a CSU LID description states.

Despite being an NIH insider, Memoli has previously opposed the U.S. COVID response, according to a report released this week by STATUS.

In 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported that Memoli — who had opposed mandatory COVID vaccinations and refused to get vaccinated — was prepared to argue against such mandates at an NIH roundtable.

“Dr Memoli said he supports COVID-19 vaccination in high-risk populations, including the elderly and obese,” WSJ reported. “But it argues that with existing vaccines, widespread vaccination of people at low risk of severe disease could hinder the development of more robust acquired immunity within a population against infection.”

At the time, Memoli said the following: “I do vaccine trials. I actually help create vaccines. Part of my career is sharing my expert opinions, right or wrong. …I mean, if they all end up saying I’m wrong, that’s OK. I want to have the discussion,” according to WSJ.

Following STATUSReporting on his appointment as acting NIH director earlier this week, an agency spokesperson provided a Memoli statement to the outlet that read: “My sole purpose in the role of acting NIH director is to support the transition of the new administration until a new NIH director is confirmed by the U.S. Senate and is brought into the NIH.” »

Memoli holds a master’s degree in microbiology from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and a medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada.

Acting CMS Administrator: Jeff Wu, JD, MBA

Wu is deputy policy director at CMS’s Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), where he leads CCIIO’s work on policy and regulations related to health insurance reforms under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to the agency. This includes health insurance marketplaces, premium stabilization programs, premium tax credit advance payments and cost-sharing reductions, the Consumer Directed and Directed Plans Program, regulation of qualified health plans, and eligibility and enrollment standards.

In November, Wu was cited in a report by KFF Health News on CMS’s anti-fraud efforts during the ACA enrollment period, saying the agency had “ramped up support operations” in its Healthcare.gov marketplace call centers in anticipation of increased demand for three-way calls. Three-way calls are only necessary when an agent or broker not associated with a consumer’s enrollment wants to change the consumer’s enrollment or terminate their coverage, he told the outlet at the time.

Before serving as deputy policy director at CCIIO, Wu held other policy positions within the center, according to CMS. Prior to that, he worked as an attorney with the Covington Law Firm. & Burling, and as a management consultant with the consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

Wu received his law degree from Stanford Law School and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, both in California.

Acting FDA Commissioner: Sara Brenner MD, MPH

Brenner is a preventive medicine and public health physician at the FDA.

“She has extensive medical, scientific and federal health policy experience, including coordinating whole-of-government operations with a focus on medical countermeasures, technological innovation, regulation, public health preparedness and data analysis on the front lines of the national COVID-19 response spanning two administrations,” according to the agency.

Most recently, Brenner served as chief medical officer for in vitro diagnostics and associate director for medical affairs at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. During the pandemic, her work in the federal response included leading diagnostic data on the HHS Data Strategy and Execution Task Force.

Before joining the FDA, Brenner worked as a senior policy advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where her portfolio included biomedical science, technology and human health.

Brenner received his medical degree from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City and an MPH degree from the SUNY University of Albany School of Public Health in New York.

Acting CDC Director: Susan Monarez, PhD

Prior to publication on the CDC website, CBS News reported that the Trump administration was expected to exit the CDC by appointing Monarez — deputy director of a federal health research agency — as acting director.

Monarez joined the CDC from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), where she most recently served as deputy director since January 2023.

Prior to her time at ARPA-H, she led initiatives “focused on the ethical use of artificial intelligence and machine learning” to improve health outcomes, improve health care affordability and accessibility, expand access to mental health interventions, end the opioid epidemic, address health disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality, and improve organ donation and transplantation programs.

Monarez also served in the White House in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Security Council, and held senior positions in the Department of Homeland Security.

She received her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.