menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Texas Doctor Who Led Measles Response Joins CDC Under RFK Jr.

5 0
18.04.2026

Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation.

Dr. Jennifer Shuford, head of Texas’ public health agency, has been tapped to serve as chief medical officer at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

President Donald Trump included Shuford among a slate of proposed leaders for the federal agency, Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday.

Trump’s other executive appointments include: Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, Sean Slovenski as the CDC deputy director and chief operating officer, and Dr. Sara Brenner as senior counselor for public health to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

The U.S. Senate has to approve Schwartz’s nomination before she can step in, but Shuford won’t have to as chief medical officer. The Texas Department of State Health Services, where Shuford serves as commissioner, has not responded to immediate requests for comment, including on when she plans to leave Texas.

Trump cited his nominations’ collective “knowledge, experience, and TOP degrees” which he said would “restore the GOLD STANDARD OF SCIENCE at the CDC.”

CDC Head Blocks Release of Findings Showing Strong COVID Vax Effectiveness

Some of the agency’s top leaders have left the CDC over its changes to longstanding public health practices, including to the vaccine schedule that reduced the importance of certain childhood immunization recommendations. National public health watchers say they are more hopeful about the agency’s future with the recent nominations of people with scientific backgrounds and no apparent ties to anti-vaccine movements, including Shuford.

Shuford was an infectious disease physician based in Austin before joining the DSHS in 2017. She currently serves on the DSHS Preventive Medicine and Public Health Residency Program and is a member of Travis County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association, and Infectious Disease Society of America.

Before stepping in as a commissioner in 2022, Shuford served as the chief state epidemiologist at the health department and was credited with supporting the state’s public health response through the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, she helped lead the state through the West Texas measles outbreak last year that infected 762 people and killed two children, the nation’s largest in 30 years. The agency spent more than $10 million to combat the outbreak, covering vaccination and testing clinics and an awareness campaign.

“That vaccine is highly effective and was the reason why measles was eliminated from the United States in the year 2000,” Shuford said on Texas Standard last year, during the height of the outbreak. “We know that that vaccine works, and that’s the best protection that we can get to communities at any time of a person’s lifetime, but especially during an outbreak.”

Shuford’s steadfast support for vaccines over the years differs from Kennedy, whose tone on shots has shifted, from being adamantly against them to saying they “contribute to community immunity” in an essay on Fox News last year.

Joseph Kanter, CEO of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, which regularly supports the importance of vaccines, said the organization applauds Shuford’s appointment.

“She is widely respected within the public health and governmental leadership communities,” he said in a news release, adding that she “has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a steadfast commitment to evidence-based public health.”

Debra Houry left the position of CDC’s chief medical officer last August telling NPR that she saw “an erosion of our science and the data and a lack of trust in it.”

Houry left her position alongside two others who disagreed with the direction of the agency under the leadership of Kennedy.

Houry, in a scathing essay in TIME Magazine in December attributed Kennedy’s leadership to recent measles outbreaks and increases of children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.

“These are not failures of clinicians or health departments,” she wrote. “They are failures of federal leadership: predictable outcomes when trusted scientific voices are replaced by ideological leaders. The nation’s public-health infrastructure is destabilized.”

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Disclosure: Texas Medical Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

An urgent fundraising appeal: 5 Days to raise $34,000

Thank you for reading Truthout today. We have a brief message before you go —

Unfortunately, donations are down for Truthout at a time when media is under immense pressure. Trump is arresting journalists, Big Tech is censoring independent news, and economic conditions for media have been worsening for years.

Simultaneously, movement media is vital in the fight against Trump’s authoritarian reign. Our mandate to tell the truth, share strategies for resistance, and speak against fascism is ever more urgent in this deluge of political censorship. Yet, we are struggling to meet our publishing costs when our work is so urgently needed.

If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work. Please give today during our fundraiser (5 days left).

Share This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.

Colleen DeGuzman, Peggy Girshman Fellow at KFF Health News, is based in Austin, Texas, and reports on a broad range of public health topics. Previously, she was a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. She also was a reporting fellow for The Texas Tribune and reporter for The Monitor newspaper in McAllen, Texas. She has had internships at NBC’s “Weekend Today” and Ashoka’s Washington bureau, and is an NPR Next Generation Radio mentee.

Share …Reading List Environment & Health US Mining Plan Will Sacrifice Mexico’s Environment for Weapons and Tech Human Rights The Bombs Have Slowed, But Israel Controls Every Aspect of Our Lives in Gaza War & Peace This Isn’t Just Trump’s War on Iran. Both Parties Paved the Way for Disaster. Prisons & Policing Palestinian Prisoners Live on Hope. Israel’s Death Penalty Aims to Destroy It. War & Peace Trump Says He’s Still Blockading Iran After It Says It’s Opening Strait War & Peace OMB Head Russ Vought Refuses to Provide Financial Estimates on Iran War Costs Related Stories News | Environment & Health

FDA Announces COVID Vaccine Deaths Inquiry, Despite Evidence Showing Safety

The inquiry was spearheaded by FDA official Vinay Prasad, an anti-vaxxer who has cited little evidence for his claims. By , December 10, 2025 News | Environment & Health

Judge Blocks CDC Childhood Vaccine Changes Made by RFK Jr. Panel Picks

The ruling also places a stay on Kennedy’s appointments to a vaccine recommendation panel within the CDC. By , March 17, 2026 News | Environment & Health

New HHS Panel Appointee Pushed Unfounded Theory Linking COVID Shots to Cancer

“There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer,” the National Cancer Institute says. By , December 22, 2025 Latest Stories News | Politics & Elections

RFK Jr. Refuses to Acknowledge He Called for “Re-Parenting” Black Kids in 2024

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell responded to Kennedy's denial by saying, “I am absolutely not making this up.” By , April 17, 2026 News | Politics & Elections

House Judiciary Investigating Jared Kushner’s Investments From Saudi Arabia

Kushner serves as “Special Envoy for Peace” while soliciting investments from Gulf monarchies for his private business. By , April 17, 2026 Op-Ed | War & Peace

This Isn’t Just Trump’s War on Iran. Both Parties Paved the Way for Disaster.

We must recognize Democrats share responsibility with the GOP for creating the climate that made such a war possible. By , April 17, 2026 News | Politics & Elections

Defense Secretary Uses Bible Story to Bash “Trump-Hating” Press

Earlier this week, Hegseth took part in a religious event where he read a fake Bible passage from “Pulp Fiction.” By , April 16, 2026 News | Politics & Elections

Todd Blanche Says Americans “Should Be Happy” With Trump’s Weaponization of DOJ

Directing the DOJ is "what being the commander in chief is about,” said interim Attorney General Todd Blanche. By , April 16, 2026 Interview | Politics & Elections

Swalwell, Gonzales Resignations Could Point to Pattern of Misconduct In Congress

Congress “shouldn’t see these resignations as the end of the story,” gender justice expert Fatima Goss Graves says. By , April 15, 2026 News | Politics & Elections

Facing Heckler, Vance Brags About Gaza “Ceasefire” That Groups Say Is a Failure

Vance was heckled by a protester who said: “Jesus Christ does not support genocide.” By , April 15, 2026 News | Politics & Elections

Democrats Submit Articles of Impeachment Against Pete Hegseth

The articles of impeachment cite the “unauthorized war against Iran” and many other grievances. By , April 15, 2026 News | Politics & Elections

As Postal Service Faces Cash Crisis, FedEx and UPS Spend Millions on Lobbying

Lobbying from private carriers has helped limit USPS expansion into new services like postal banking. By , April 15, 2026 News | Politics & Elections

Raskin Proposes New Health Commission for POTUS Fitness Under 25th Amendment

The bill would make it easier to remove US presidents from office for reasons related to physical or mental health. By , April 15, 2026 Fundraising Drive: 5 Days Left to Raise $34,000

Trump is silencing political dissent, and independent media is a key tool of resistance. Join our collective fight by making a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout today.

News

Series

More

Never Miss Another Story

Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day.

  • URLThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Email*
gform.initializeOnLoaded( function() {gformInitSpinner( 2952649843, 'https://truthout.org/app/plugins/gravityforms/images/spinner.svg', true );jQuery('#gform_ajax_frame_2952649843').on('load',function(){var contents = jQuery(this).contents().find('*').html();var is_postback = contents.indexOf('GF_AJAX_POSTBACK') >= 0;if(!is_postback){return;}var form_content = jQuery(this).contents().find('#gform_wrapper_2952649843');var is_confirmation = jQuery(this).contents().find('#gform_confirmation_wrapper_2952649843').length > 0;var is_redirect = contents.indexOf('gformRedirect(){') >= 0;var is_form = form_content.length > 0 && ! is_redirect && ! is_confirmation;var mt = parseInt(jQuery('html').css('margin-top'), 10) + parseInt(jQuery('body').css('margin-top'), 10) + 100;if(is_form){jQuery('#gform_wrapper_2952649843').html(form_content.html());if(form_content.hasClass('gform_validation_error')){jQuery('#gform_wrapper_2952649843').addClass('gform_validation_error');} else {jQuery('#gform_wrapper_2952649843').removeClass('gform_validation_error');}setTimeout( function() { /* delay the scroll by 50 milliseconds to fix a bug in chrome */ jQuery(document).scrollTop(jQuery('#gform_wrapper_2952649843').offset().top - mt); }, 50 );if(window['gformInitDatepicker']) {gformInitDatepicker();}if(window['gformInitPriceFields']) {gformInitPriceFields();}var current_page = jQuery('#gform_source_page_number_2952649843_1').val();gformInitSpinner( 2952649843, 'https://truthout.org/app/plugins/gravityforms/images/spinner.svg', true );jQuery(document).trigger('gform_page_loaded', [2952649843, current_page]);window['gf_submitting_2952649843'] = false;}else if(!is_redirect){var confirmation_content = jQuery(this).contents().find('.GF_AJAX_POSTBACK').html();if(!confirmation_content){confirmation_content = contents;}jQuery('#gform_wrapper_2952649843').replaceWith(confirmation_content);jQuery(document).scrollTop(jQuery('#gf_2952649843').offset().top - mt);jQuery(document).trigger('gform_confirmation_loaded', [2952649843]);window['gf_submitting_2952649843'] = false;wp.a11y.speak(jQuery('#gform_confirmation_message_2952649843').text());}else{jQuery('#gform_2952649843').append(contents);if(window['gformRedirect']) {gformRedirect();}}jQuery(document).trigger("gform_pre_post_render", [{ formId: "1", currentPage: "current_page", abort: function() { this.preventDefault(); } }]); if (event && event.defaultPrevented) { return; } const gformWrapperDiv = document.getElementById( "gform_wrapper_1" ); if ( gformWrapperDiv ) { const visibilitySpan = document.createElement( "span" ); visibilitySpan.id = "gform_visibility_test_1"; gformWrapperDiv.insertAdjacentElement( "afterend", visibilitySpan ); } const visibilityTestDiv = document.getElementById( "gform_visibility_test_1" ); let postRenderFired = false; function triggerPostRender() { if ( postRenderFired ) { return; } postRenderFired = true; gform.core.triggerPostRenderEvents( 1, current_page ); if ( visibilityTestDiv ) { visibilityTestDiv.parentNode.removeChild( visibilityTestDiv ); } } function debounce( func, wait, immediate ) { var timeout; return function() { var context = this, args = arguments; var later = function() { timeout = null; if ( !immediate ) func.apply( context, args ); }; var callNow = immediate && !timeout; clearTimeout( timeout ); timeout = setTimeout( later, wait ); if ( callNow ) func.apply( context, args ); }; } const debouncedTriggerPostRender = debounce( function() { triggerPostRender(); }, 200 ); if ( visibilityTestDiv && visibilityTestDiv.offsetParent === null ) { const observer = new MutationObserver( ( mutations ) => { mutations.forEach( ( mutation ) => { if ( mutation.type === 'attributes' && visibilityTestDiv.offsetParent !== null ) { debouncedTriggerPostRender(); observer.disconnect(); } }); }); observer.observe( document.body, { attributes: true, childList: false, subtree: true, attributeFilter: [ 'style', 'class' ], }); } else { triggerPostRender(); } } );} );


© Truthout