Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill is expected to serve as acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in accordance to an administration official and one other particular person acquainted with the matter.
O’Neill joined HHS in June after years as a Silicon Valley-based expertise and biotech investor, together with stints with the Thiel Foundation and later the Thiel Fellowship, a grant program for younger entrepreneurs began by billionaire Palantir founder Peter Thiel.
O’Neill additionally labored for HHS through the George W. Bush administration, when, as principal affiliate deputy secretary, he led adjustments to meals regulation and emergency response.
The Washington Post first reported O’Neill’s new position.
He assumes the position amid turmoil for the CDC within the wake of Director Dr. Susan Monarez’s firing and a sequence of high-profile resignations this week.
Agency employees rallied outside the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters on Thursday to salute the departing Dr. Debra Houry, former chief medical officer; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, former chief of vaccines and respiratory illnesses; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and knowledge chief Dr. Jennifer Layden.
O’Neill accompanied Monarez and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on a tour of the CDC campus this month after a gunman opened hearth there, pocking the buildings with tons of of bullet holes and killing DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose.
At his affirmation listening to in May, O’Neill informed Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, that he’s “very strongly pro-vaccine. I’m an adviser to a vaccine company. I support the CDC vaccine schedule.”
Cassidy then requested O’Neill particularly about mandates. “Do you agree with the mandate, which currently exists, that if somebody wishes to become a legal resident, that they be up to date on their immunizations, as per recommended by CDC?”
O’Neill stated, “I haven’t looked into the immigration law aspect of this, but I do support the CDC schedule, and that rule seems reasonable to me.”
He additionally informed senators that he would assist reform “outdated rules” and “pursue transparency” inside federal well being businesses.
“Our health care system is difficult to navigate, and it prioritizes pills over prevention. Providers spend too much time clicking through pop-up screens and fighting with insurance companies instead of looking patients in the eye. Federal policies can empower people to break this cycle,” O’Neill stated. “If confirmed, I’ll help reform outdated rules, pursue transparency and gold standard science, and champion healthy lifestyles and prevention so Americans can thrive.”
NCS’s Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.