A lot has happened this year at the CDC with walkouts, layoffs and the disappearance of data and reports, presenting major challenges for journalists who report on public health. Especially when reporting on infectious disease, the compromising of the CDC as a source of public health data and up-to-date information about outbreaks has huge implications for public health. But that’s not all that has been lost — not by a long shot. The Secretary of Health and Human Services has also undermined the CDC as a source of trustworthy information about drug use/harm reduction, autism, chronic disease and diet.
Although the dismantling of the CDC has cost the country its oldest, most stalwart resource for public health information, the CDC diaspora has not vanished in silence. Join us for a conversation with former CDC officials Deb Houry, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science; Demetre Daskalakis, former Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Daniel Jernigan, former Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Moderated by AHCJ Health Beat Leader Tara Haelle, the discussion explores:
- Where journalists should turn for the reliable, evidence-based reporting resources that formerly had a home at the CDC’s web pages.
- Who, if anyone, has taken over data collection and communication about infectious disease.
- What is missing, now, from the national public health picture.
- Their biggest worries about the potential consequences of the loss of this body of expertise and communication.
Tara Haelle
AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Infectious Diseases & Medical Studies
Tara Haelle is AHCJ’s health beat leader for infectious diseases and medical studies. She’s an independent science/health journalist, author, speaker, and photographer. Her work has appeared in the National Geographic, Scientific American, Texas Monthly, Science News, Medscape/WebMD, The New York Times, Wired, and O Magazine, among others. She specializes in public health and medical research, particularly vaccines, infectious disease, maternal and pediatric health, mental health, healthcare disparities, and misinformation. She also covers medical research conferences and edits Long COVID Connection on Medium. Haelle earned a master’s in photojournalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and her images have appeared in Texas Monthly, NPR, the, Chicago Sun-Times and elsewhere.
Demetre C. Daskalakis, M.D., MPH
Former Director, CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Dr. Demetre C. Daskalakis, M.D., MPH, is a nationally recognized physician and public health leader in infectious diseases and emergency response. He received his B.A. from Columbia, M.D. from NYU, and MPH from Harvard, followed by advanced training at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess and Partners Healthcare.
Dr. Daskalakis has held major leadership roles at the New York City Department of Health, overseeing HIV, TB, STD, immunization, and laboratory programs, and managing responses to measles, Legionella, and New York City’s initial COVID-19 outbreak. At the CDC, he directed the Division of HIV Prevention and later led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, where he managed strategies for influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and the transition of the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine program to commercialization. He played a critical role in national responses to respiratory virus threats and managed high-profile outbreaks including measles and avian influenza, demonstrating trauma-informed leadership during challenging events like the August 2025 CDC shooting.
As Deputy Coordinator of the White House National Mpox Response, Dr. Daskalakis’s innovative approaches led to a dramatic reduction in daily cases. Throughout his career, he has championed health equity, LGBTQ+ health, and evidence-based policy, shaping national and global strategies in HIV prevention and vaccination.
Debra Houry, M.D., MPH
Former Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science, CDC
Debra Houry M.D., MPH is a nationally recognized emergency physician and public health leader with more than two decades of experience guiding health care and public health strategy across federal government, health systems, and academia.
Most recently, Dr. Houry served as Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she oversaw nine national centers and the Office of Science with a combined budget of more than $6 billion. She also served as Acting Principal Deputy Director, the agency’s most senior leader after the CDC Director, where she co-led the Moving Forward initiative—restructuring CDC to strengthen preparedness, data, and laboratory systems.
Daniel Jernigan, M.D., MPH
Former Director, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC
Daniel B. Jernigan, M.D., MPH, recently resigned his position as Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Jernigan completed training at Duke University and Baylor College of Medicine and has completed residencies in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine.
He entered the CDC in 1994 as an Epidemic Intelligence Officer, and has been studying respiratory and emerging diseases since that time. He is a retired Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service and was the recipient of the 2019 Service to America Medal.
