ATLANTA — Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, will take over as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a White House official and sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Bhattacharya will continue with his current duties as NIH director until a permanent CDC director can be nominated and confirmed, the White Official said.
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He will replace Jim O’Neill, who served as acting director of the Atlanta-based health agency from late August until he stepped down last week.
O’Neill replaced Dr. Susan Monarez, who claims she was pushed out of the position in August after just a few weeks on the job.
The White House official said O’Neill will be nominated as the next head of the National Science Foundation.
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