Release
WASHINGTON — DEC. 15, 2025 — Ralph Abraham, M.D., was sworn in today as Principal Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He will begin his duties at CDC headquarters in Atlanta on January 5, 2026.
Dr. Abraham has nearly 30 years of experience as a medical practitioner, most recently as Surgeon General of the state of Louisiana. As CDC Principal Deputy Director, he will help realign the agency with its mission as America's frontline defender against infectious disease.
"The CDC's foremost duty is to protect the American people from infectious disease," said Secretary Kennedy. "Dr. Abraham recognizes that responsibility. He brings the integrity, courage, and decades of medical experience required to restore the CDC's standing as the world's most trusted defender of public health."
"CDC has turned a corner and refocused on its core mission of defending America and the world against infectious disease," said Deputy Secretary and Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill. "It is also advancing Secretary Kennedy's mission to make America healthy again. I am delighted to have Dr. Abraham's clinical and scientific expertise to accelerate radical transparency and make CDC the best it can be."
"I am honored to join Secretary Kennedy and Deputy Secretary O'Neill in their mission to reform the CDC," said Dr. Abraham. "By putting sound science first — and checking our ideologies at the door — we can make the CDC a model for the world in infectious disease tracking, prevention, and treatment."
Dr. Abraham graduated from the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, practicing for 10 years before earning his M.D. from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He then practiced family medicine. From 2015 to 2021, Dr. Abraham represented Louisiana's fifth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served on the House Armed Services Committee, Committee on Agriculture, and Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
As Surgeon General of Louisiana, Dr. Abraham was charged with crafting health policy, advocating for disease prevention, and coordinating with state agencies to improve health outcomes in Louisiana. He has also volunteered for humanitarian missions in Afghanistan, Haiti, Africa, and the Amazon rainforest.