Dr. Marty Makary also resigned in May from his role as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration after opposing the Trump administration’s moves to expand access to flavored e-cigarettes. The same month, the FDA’s vaccine chief stepped down, and the leader of the FDA division regulating over-the-counter and prescription drugs said she had been fired.

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Erika Edwards

Erika Edwards is a health and medical news writer and reporter for NBC News and "TODAY." [...] Her exit is the latest example of the leadership churn that has roiled the country’s top health agencies under the Trump administration.

Shuford’s last day will be Nov. 12, the CDC spokesperson said. In a statementprovided on Shuford’s behalf, she said she was leaving to spend more time with her family.

“I am so thankful to President Trump and Secretary Kennedy for giving me the opportunity to help lead CDC. It has been an amazing experience and I will be forever grateful for it,” she said. [...] President Donald Trump announced in April that Shuford had been appointed to CDC leadership, and she started her dual roles in June. Previously, she was Texas’ chief state epidemiologist during the Covid pandemic, then was appointed in 2022 to be commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. In that role, she oversaw the response to the measles outbreak centered in West Texas last year, which led to more than 750 cases and the deaths of two school-age children.