California governor Gavin Newsom has appointed two senior scientists who recently left the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) following disputes with the Trump administration to key state roles.
Dr Susan Monarez, the former CDC director, will take on a leading role in California’s new public health initiative, the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX).
Monarez was dismissed by the Trump administration in August, less than a month after assuming leadership of the CDC. Her removal followed disagreements with the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, particularly over vaccine policy.
Newsom has also appointed Dr Debra Houry, the former CDC chief medical officer, who resigned after spending a decade at the agency. Her departure came shortly after Monarez’s dismissal.
Both Monarez and Houry appeared before Congress in September, where they raised concerns about Kennedy’s vaccine agenda and broader changes to the federal public health system.
PHNIX was established to modernise California’s public health infrastructure and is positioned as a response to what state officials describe as the erosion of federal public health safeguards under the Trump administration. The initiative will focus on technology development, data systems modernisation and new funding models.
In a statement, Newsom said PHNIX would unite scientific expertise, advanced tools and innovation to strengthen public health.
“By bringing on expert scientific leaders to partner in this launch, we’re strengthening collaboration and laying the groundwork for a modern public health infrastructure that will offer trust and stability in scientific data not just across California, but nationally and globally,” he said.
Under the new structure, Monarez will serve as a strategic adviser on health technology and funding, while Houry will act as senior regional and global public health medical adviser.
Newsom has become one of President Trump’s most prominent critics during the latter’s second term. Since Trump returned to office, the California governor has introduced measures aimed at countering federal actions, including an executive order in March designed to help laid-off federal workers secure state employment following mass dismissals.
He has also strengthened California’s role in multi-state public health collaborations, including the West Coast Health Alliance and the Governors Public Health Alliance, positioning the state as a focal point of resistance to federal health policies.
Newsom has been widely mentioned as a potential presidential candidate in 2028, though he has said any decision would come after the 2026 midterm elections. His term as California governor ends in 2027, and he is barred from seeking re-election due to term limits.
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