CDC deputy director resigns after 2 months on the job

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Dr. Ralph Abraham is stepping down as principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after serving in the position for only two months, the agency announced on Monday.

Abraham was sworn in on Dec. 15 after being the Louisiana surgeon general and a medical practitioner for nearly 30 years.

“It has been an honor to serve alongside the dedicated public health professionals at the CDC and to support the agency’s critical mission,” Abraham said in a statement, adding that he chose to leave the department “to address unforeseen family obligations.”

During his run as state surgeon general of Louisiana, he ordered health officials to stop promoting mass vaccination.

Abraham wrote in a Feb. 13, 2025, memo to staff members, “While we encourage each patient to discuss the risks and benefits of vaccination with their provider, LDH will no longer promote mass vaccination.”

He also posted a letter on the state health department’s website calling vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic “an offense against personal autonomy that will take years to overcome.”