Former CDC official returns to local healthcare after resignation, citing a desire to protect public health and local communities.
Demetre Daskalakis, a former top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has resigned from his position and is returning to local healthcare. In an interview, Daskalakis likened his former colleagues at the CDC to "hostages" who were making decisions without proper process and prioritizing ideology over science. He cited the agency's reversal of its stance on vaccine safety as a key factor in his decision to leave.
Daskalakis began his career in local healthcare, working in HIV clinics and as a deputy commissioner of the New York City health department. He then moved to the federal level, serving as the director of the Division of HIV Prevention and the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases during the Trump administration. However, he decided to return to local healthcare due to his concerns about the federal government's prioritization of ideology over science and its impact on public health.
Daskalakis will now serve as the chief medical officer of the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, an LGBTQ+ clinic in New York City. He will also serve on the transition team for the incoming New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. In these roles, Daskalakis will focus on local healthcare and community engagement, ensuring that science and operations work together to provide the highest level of care and services to the LGBTQ+ population in New York City.
Daskalakis expressed his concerns about the federal government's impact on public health, particularly regarding the removal of gender-affirming care for young people. He believes that medical decisions should be based on science and free of partisan politics, and that local healthcare is better equipped to address these issues. He also emphasized the importance of differentiating between signal and noise in the face of misinformation and distortion, and the need for physicians and medical providers to speak out when they see things that are potentially bad for their patients.
