Susan Monarez

Susan Monarez
Official portrait, 2025
21st Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
In office
July 31, 2025 – August 27, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyDebra Houry (acting)
Preceded byMatthew Buzzelli (acting)
Succeeded byJim O'Neill (acting)
Acting
January 23, 2025 – March 24, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyNirav D. Shah
Debra Houry (acting)
Preceded byMandy Cohen
Succeeded byMatthew Buzzelli (acting)
Personal details
BornSusan Patricia Coller
(1974-11-06) November 6, 1974
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison (BS, MS, PhD)

Susan Patricia Coller Monarez (née Coller; born November 6, 1974) is an American microbiologist and public health official serving as the Strategic Health Technology and Funding Advisor for the California Department of Public Health initiative known as the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange. She served as the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, first in an acting capacity from January to March 2025, and then as a confirmed position for under a month from July to August 2025.

Monarez's early career was as an academic microbiologist. She then served in several U.S. government positions as a science administrator, including at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and later as Deputy Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.