Incoming CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said in a New York Times op-ed that she will lead "with facts, science and integrity" and work to restore public trust in the agency that she said has been undermined.
Dr. Walensky rebuked White House interference in CDC guidance over the past year and said in the op-ed that on her first day she would ask Anne Schuchat, MD, the agency's principal deputy director, "to begin a comprehensive review to ensure that all existing guidance related to Covid-19 is evidence-based and free of politics."
She also said the nation needs to redouble its vaccination efforts, that she would inform elected officials and the public about pressing scientific information "even when the news is bleak," that American public health infrastructure needs to be better funded, and that she would work to address healthcare inequities faced by communities of color.
"I promise to work with my colleagues at the C.D.C. to harness the power of American science and confront these challenges," Dr. Walensky said.
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