Dr. Ralph Abraham steps down from CDC post - Louisiana Illuminator

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Brief

A former top state health official from Louisiana is leaving his fairly new leadership role with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency announced Monday.

Dr. Ralph Abraham will step down as principal deputy director of the CDC “to address unforeseen family obligations,” the agency said in a brief statement. The Trump administration picked Abraham for the role in November.

“It has been an honor to serve alongside the dedicated public health professionals at the CDC and to support the agency’s critical mission,” Abraham said in the statement that provided no additional information on the reason for his departure.

Abraham, 71, was Gov. Jeff Landry’s pick to lead the Louisiana Department of Health when he took office in January 2024. The government and state legislature created the role of surgeon general later that year specifically for Abraham, moving him to a role more involved with health care policy and less with the day-to-day operations of the department.

The appointment of Abraham to a top position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is among several moves the Trump administration has made in its overhaul of the agency. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has placed the center in the crosshairs of his “Make America Healthy Again” movement, forcing out officials who challenged his views on vaccines that steered away from scientific consensus.

Abraham’s replacement as Louisiana’s surgeon general, Baton Rouge OB/GYN Dr. Evelyn Griffin, was one of Kennedy’s picks to the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel. She supported his policy to end decades-old guidelines that called for newborns to be vaccinated for hepatitis B at birth. The shot is now recommended only for babies whose mother test positive for the virus.

During his stint as surgeon general, Abraham ended the state health department’s annual campaign to promote and provide influenza flu vaccinations. He said patients should instead first consult with their physician before receiving a flu shot.

Abraham has also promoted COVID-19 treatments that infectious disease experts have widely debunked. They include taking hydroxychloroquine, a medication used to prevent malaria, and ivermectin, a drug used for parasitic infections.

His career started in veterinary medicine before he earned his physician’s degree at age 40. He’s continued to operate a small rural health practice in Northeast Louisiana throughout his time in elected office and government roles.

Abraham is also a pilot who has volunteered his services to patients in need.

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