Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill will be named interim director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a letter Kennedy sent to CDC staff, which was obtained by NPR.

The decision comes after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Susan Monarez, now former director of the CDC, after less than one month on the job. However, the expected decision to replace Monarez with O'Neill has not been officially announced by the White House yet.

Monarez's lawyers say she was forced out because she "refused to rubber stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts." Several top leaders at the CDC resigned in protest to Monarez's removal.

Anne Schuchat, an epidemiologist and physician who

See Full Page