What to know about Jim O'Neill, new acting CDC director
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Employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Aug. 28 line up to honor officials who resigned. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
Silicon Valley investor and entrepreneur Jim O'Neill, who has also advocated for unproven COVID treatments, will lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: O'Neill, who is not a physician, is an ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and could help him enact the Make America Health Again agenda.
- O'Neill, who will be overseeing vaccine recommendations, publicly criticized the CDC during the COVID pandemic and has pushed treatments that are not supported by scientific research, like ivermectin.
- "We will rebuild this institution into what it was always meant to be: a guardian of America's health and security," an HHS spokesperson said in a statement. "Jim O'Neill is focused on achieving this mission and restoring trust in our public health agencies."
- The White House and CDC didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Catch up quick: O'Neill most recently served as the deputy secretary of the Health and Human Services Department.
- The White House ousted CDC director Susan Monarez, who disputed HHS' unilateral ability to fire her. Other top officials quit in protest.
State of play: O'Neill is a biotech investor focused on longevity and anti-aging initiatives. He previously served at HHS from 2002 to 2008.
- He was the principal associate deputy secretary from 2007 to 2008, focusing on food safety regulations. He was also a speech writer for the health department during former President George W. Bush's administration, per the Guardian.
- He later became a close ally of tech investor and conservative megadonor Peter Thiel.
- He was briefly CEO of SENS Research Foundation, an anti-aging organization, per the Washington Post. In 2023, he was tapped to serve on the board of directors for ADvantage Therapeutics, which develops therapies to treat neurodegenerative conditions.
Zoom in: O'Neill's posts on social media have backed Trump and furthered Kennedy's MAHA rhetoric.
- In February, O'Neill responded to a report about a researcher who experimented on herself: "These people think curing cancer is unethical, but vaccine mandates are good. Let's make America healthy again."
- "Decentralize news. Decentralize everything," he wrote on X in November.
- In October, he said: "American culture is turning against big government, corporation culture, and manufactured narratives, and this will continue regardless of who wins the election.
- "Like it or not, a year from today Trump will be president," he said in January 2024.
Go deeper: White House selects Kennedy deputy Jim O'Neill as acting CDC director
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from HHS.
