Susan Coller Monarez
Susan Coller Monarez is an American public health official based in Potomac, Maryland. She is currently serving as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).[1] She is President Donald Trump's nominee for director of the CDC, pending confirmation by the United States Senate.[2]
She has participated in advisory panels for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), the Federal Experts Science Advisory Panel, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).[3][4][5]
She is the founder of the HRSA Center for Innovation (CFI),[6] and is associated with Heartland Global Strategies and ESM Consulting.[7][8] She is married to Eduardo Monarez.[9]
History
Monarez graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University School of Medicine.[10] She worked in the Boothroyd Lab from 2003-2006 on a post-doctoral fellowship.[11]
Career
From August 2006 to September 2007, Monarez was an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), where she "led strategic planning to support the acquisition planning for the Federal government's biodefense pharmaceutical drug portfolio."[12][13]
She also worked at BARDA until 2009 as a policy and strategy advisor, where she "coordinated the development of HHS first-ever Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise Strategy and Implementation Plan," defining the agency's use of the $5.6 billion Project BioShield Special Reserve Fund.[12:1] Additionally, she "worked with non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups including the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and National Association of County and City Health Officials to understand State and local public health systems strengths and limitations to support resource prioritization to improve national capabilities."[12:2]
In July 2009, Monarez became branch chief and senior science advisor at the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA).[12:3]
In January 2014, Monarez joined the White House in the Executive Office of the President of the United States. She served in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as Assistant Director for National Security and International Affairs, and as director of medical preparedness policy on the United States National Security Council (NSC),[13:1] where she led "efforts to enhance the nation’s biomedical innovation capabilities including combating antimicrobial resistance, expanding the use of wearables to promote patient health, ensuring personal health data privacy, and improving pandemic preparedness."[1:1][14] She was a staff member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), for which she "spearheaded the development of the 2017 Letter Report on Action Needed to Protect against Biological Attack."[15][12:4] She was also a member of the White House Ebola Task Force.[12:5]
From January 2016 to November 2018, Monarez served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategy and Analysis at the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).[12:6] She then joined the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as director of its Office of Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation. Here, Monarez was a leader in administering the $175 billion CARES Act Provider Relief Fund.[12:7]
Monarez became deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) in January 2023.[1:2] On September 28, 2023, Monarez participated in a discussion called "Navigating an AI-Powered Future: Preparing Leaders from the Boardroom to the Frontlines for the Growth of AI in Health Care" at 2023 Health Evolution Connect.[6:1] She then spoke at BARDA Industry Day 2023, taking place November 13-14, 2023 in Washington, D.C.[16]
Monarez was a speaker at the 2024 World Medical Innovation Forum, where she moderated a panel on September 24, 2024, titled "ARPA-H: Opening New Frontiers in Healthcare."[5:1]
On November 24, 2024, Monarez incorporated Heartland Global Strategies in Maryland.[7:1]
Monarez was a speaker at Biotech Showcase 2025, which took place January 13-15, 2025 in San Francisco, California.[4:1]
Monarez was appointed as acting CDC director and ATSDR administrator effective January 23, 2025.[1:3] On March 24, 2025, President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Monarez to formally become CDC director.[2:1]
External links
Acting Director, First Assistant to the Director, Principal Deputy Director. (2025, January 24). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://web.archive.org/web/20250222215821/https://www.cdc.gov/about/leadership/director.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Jacobs, J., & Tin, A. (2025, March 24). Trump nominates Susan Monarez for CDC director, elevating from acting role. CBS News. https://web.archive.org/web/20250404180036/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/susan-monarez-cdc-director-nominee-trump/ ↩︎ ↩︎
Appendix B - Biographical Sketches of the Workshop Planning Committee, Speakers, and Panelists. (2024, July 18). National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK605268/ ↩︎
Susan Monarez - ARPA-H | Biotech Showcase Speaker. Informa Connect. Retrieved December 5, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20241205215949/https://informaconnect.com/biotech-showcase/speakers/susan-monarez/ ↩︎ ↩︎
ARPA-H: Opening New Frontiers in Healthcare. 2024 World Medical Innovation Forum. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from https://web.archive.org/web/20250225001816/https://2024.worldmedicalinnovation.org/con-event/arpa-h-opening-new-frontiers-in-healthcare/ ↩︎ ↩︎
Susan Monarez, PhD. Health Evolution. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from http://archive.vn/2025.02.25-005852/https://www.healthevolution.com/bios/speaker/susan-monarez-phd/ ↩︎ ↩︎
Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. (2025, February 5). Heartland Global Strategies, LLC. OpenCorporates. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_md/W25661711 ↩︎ ↩︎
Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. (2023, November 8). ESM Consulting L.L.C. - Articles of Incorporation. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/esm-consulting-l.l.c.-articles-of-incorporation ↩︎
Eduardo Daniel Monarez living in Potomac, MD. Search People Free. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from https://www.searchpeoplefree.com/find/eduardo-d-monarez/13tVv8syLurr ↩︎
Education | Susan Coller Monarez. LinkedIn. Retrieved February 24, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-coller-monarez-3681606/details/education/ ↩︎
Lab Alumni. Boothroyd Lab. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from https://med.stanford.edu/boothroydlab/lab-members/lab-alumni.html ↩︎
Experience | Susan Coller Monarez. LinkedIn. Retrieved February 24, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-coller-monarez-3681606/details/experience/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Susan Monarez, PhD. 2024 World Medical Innovation Forum. Retrieved January 14, 2025, from https://web.archive.org/web/20250114063140/https://2024.worldmedicalinnovation.org/speaker/susan-monarez-phd/ ↩︎ ↩︎
Susan Monarez. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. Retrieved January 26, 2025, from https://web.archive.org/web/20250126231020/https://arpa-h.gov/about/people/susan-monarez ↩︎
Appendix A - Action Needed to Protect Against Biological Attack Working Group. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Retrieved February 6, 2025, from https://web.archive.org/web/20250206081656/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/PCAST/pcast_biodefense_appendixa_final-1.pdf ↩︎
BARDA Industry Day 2023: November 13 & 14, Hybrid: Grand Hyatt Washington & Virtual. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from https://medicalcountermeasures.gov/barda/barda-industry-day-2023/ ↩︎