Ralph Abraham, M.D., has been sworn in as Principal Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The ceremony took place in Washington, D.C. on December 15, 2025, with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. administering the oath. Dr. Abraham will officially begin his role at CDC headquarters in Atlanta on January 5, 2026.
Dr. Abraham brings nearly three decades of medical experience to the position. He most recently served as Surgeon General of Louisiana, where he developed health policy and worked with state agencies to improve public health outcomes.
Secretary Kennedy commented on Dr. Abraham’s appointment: “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.”
Jim O’Neill, Deputy Secretary and Acting CDC Director, stated: “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.”
Dr. Abraham expressed his commitment to supporting reforms at the agency: “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 holds degrees from Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine and School of Medicine, having practiced veterinary medicine for a decade before moving into family medicine. From 2015 through 2021, he represented Louisiana’s fifth congressional district in Congress, serving on several committees related to armed services, agriculture, science, space, and technology.
His career includes humanitarian missions in Afghanistan, Haiti, Africa, and South America’s Amazon region.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention works to protect lives by providing timely information about diseases—whether they arise domestically or internationally—and responding quickly to outbreaks or illnesses that threaten public health or national security by investing in community-level initiatives across the United States.
