President Trump has put into place a very different team than his predecessors when it comes to public health and research, and the CDC is very much in the thick of it.

The president just nominated Dr. Susan Monterez, the CDC's current acting chief, to become its new permanent director.

That's after a prior candidate withdrew under pressure because of his vaccine skepticism.

Five senior leaders at the CDC have announced their departures and staff are anticipating cuts

that could affect as much as a third of its workforce. Lina Sun is a national reporter

focusing on health for the Washington Post. Happy to be here. So let's talk about the new nominee for CDC director.

What should we know about her experience, her prior focus,

and why President Trump settled on her as his pick?

She's the acting director,

and she's been in place since January as the acting CDC director.

I think what happened after the last nominee withdrew or had his nomination withdrawn, that was

former Congressman Dave Weldon, is that the administration and in particular the president

wanted someone who maybe would not be so out there in terms of controversial vaccine ideas.

And that is what sank the previous person.

He didn't get, he didn't have the votes in the Senate.

In her time as acting, she has been kind of under the radar.

She has seemed pretty willing to put in place the initiatives that the administration has wanted when they've wanted CDC to take down the website or make changes.

She does not seem to have been putting up a big fuss.

And maybe they see in her someone who can steer the ship and not cause too much of a ruckus.

She does have a background in biosecurity, and she's very much into use of AI and technology,

and she has been in government in and out for 20 years.

She served in previous government positions.

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