CDC director resigns

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist who previously served as Georgia’s public health commissioner and president-elect of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, resigned today. “Dr. Fitzgerald owns certain complex financial interests that have imposed a broad recusal limiting her ability to complete all of her duties as the CDC Director,” said Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Matt Lloyd. “Due to the nature of these financial interests, Dr. Fitzgerald could not divest from them in a definitive time period. After advising Secretary Azar of both the status of the financial interests and the scope of her recusal, Dr. Fitzgerald tendered, and the Secretary accepted, her resignation." Former HHS Secretary Tom Price named Fitzgerald to the post last July.