Schwartz ordered officials to challenge reports of deaths in Pennsylvania measles outbreak
Dr. Satish Pillai will serve as acting deputy director and chief medical officer of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while the agency searches for a successor to Dr. Jennifer Shuford, CDC Director Erica Schwartz said. UPI reported the appointment on Oct. 27, 2026, as the agency faces criticism of its response to measles outbreaks in the United States, including one in Pennsylvania where the state health department reported several deaths.
The CDC has refused to acknowledge the cause of the Pennsylvania deaths, and Schwartz ordered officials to challenge the reports, UPI reported. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom UPI described as a vaccine skeptic, accused Pennsylvania’s governor, a Democrat, of “manipulating” the truth about the deaths.
UPI also reported that during his tenure, Kennedy has fired all 17 of the CDC’s expert vaccine advisory panel members and replaced them with appointees who support his views, and forced the CDC to publicly contradict scientific consensus on vaccines and autism.
Schwartz, who had a background of supporting and guiding vaccine programs for the government, assured lawmakers at her confirmation hearing that she supported “clear, honest and evidence-based” public health guidance, would “never betray the science,” and would push back against Kennedy’s policies. In an email announcing Shuford’s departure, Schwartz said, “I am deeply grateful for Dr. Shuford’s outstanding leadership and commitment to CDC and public health, especially as she has navigated an exceptionally demanding, high-profile and constantly evolving environment over the past several months.”
Shuford announced on Oct. 27, 2026, that she will leave the agency after about six months as deputy director and chief medical officer. The CDC said her last day on the job is expected to be Nov. 12. Shuford said in a statement that she is leaving to spend more time with her family, The Washington Post reported. “I am so thankful to President Trump and Secretary Kennedy for giving me the opportunity to lead CDC,” she said. “It has been an amazing experience, and I will be forever grateful for it.”
President Donald Trump appointed Shuford in April as part of a four-person senior leadership team for the agency, after the previous director, Susan Monarez, left after less than a month. Shuford is a physician who served previously as the Texas health commissioner, The New York Times reported. The newspaper also reported that she oversaw Texas’s response to a measles outbreak last year and had a reputation as a data-driven epidemiologist who supported childhood vaccines. Pillai’s assignment holds the CDC’s deputy director and chief medical officer positions on an acting basis while the agency searches for a successor.