Ralph Abraham, a vocal vaccine skeptic who served at the agency for just three months, has stepped down due to “unforeseen family obligations,” according to the CDC.
Another domino has fallen at the CDC, with Principal Deputy Director Ralph Abraham stepping down effective immediately, the public health organization announced Monday morning.
Last week, acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill left his position. That left Abraham as the most senior leader at the agency until National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya assumed leadership of the CDC on an acting basis on Friday.
Abraham, a physician, former Congressman and recent surgeon general of Louisiana, was sworn in by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on December 15, 2025. Now, just a few months later, he has stepped down due to “unforeseen family obligations,” according to the CDC’s brief statement announcing the departure.
“Dr. Abraham led with clarity and discipline, advancing the CDC’s mission to protect the health and safety of the American people,” the statement said. “He worked directly with career staff and public health partners to strengthen national preparedness and improve the country’s emergency response efforts.”
Abraham is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump and of Kennedy, according to reporting from NPR. Abraham is also a noted skeptic of vaccines and campaigned against COVID-19 shots during the pandemic. In his role as surgeon general of Louisiana, he banned all vaccine promotion campaigns, including COVID, flu and mpox.
Abraham also encouraged the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID, an idea that was thoroughly debunked using clinical evidence.
