CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald resigns after report she invested in tobacco stocks

Brenda Fitzgerald, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, resigned on Wednesday following a report that she had invested in tobacco and pharmaceutical company stocks while overseeing an agency tasked with promoting public health.

Her resignation, which came less than 24 hours after the disclosure of her investments by Politico, was announced in a brief statement by new Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who was sworn in earlier this week.

CDC staff members were not immediately informed of Fitzgerald’s resignation, STAT has learned; they heard of it through news reports.

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