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Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is resigning from her position. She was appointed to the role by President Joe Biden. She began her stint as CDC Director on January 20, 2021, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I took on this role with the goal of leaving behind the dark days of the pandemic and moving the CDC — and public health — into a much better and more trusted place," she said in an email to agency staff after the call, which was obtained by the New York Times.
Her last day will be on June 30.
"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director," Walensky wrote in a letter to President Biden. "I took on this role, at your request, with the goal of leaving behind the dark days of the pandemic and moving CDC – and public health – forward into a much better and more trusted place."
President Biden praised Walensky for making the CDC stronger during her tenure.
"Dr. Walensky leaves CDC a stronger institution, better positioned to confront health threats and protect Americans. We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter," President Biden said in a statement.
Biden did not say who he plans to appoint to replace her.