Top CDC official who warned of pandemic disruption will resign

A senior health official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who was one of the first to publicly sound the alarm about the coronavirus pandemic said Friday that she will resign next week.

In an email to colleagues seen by The Hill, Nancy Messonnier said her resignation is effective May 14 and that she will become executive director of pandemics and health systems at the Palo Alto-based Skoll Foundation.

Messonnier’s resignation was first reported by The Washington Post.

Flashback: Messonnier garnered national attention last year when she contradicted the White House’s efforts to dismiss the severity of the novel coronavirus, which was spreading rapidly overseas.

On Feb. 25, 2020, Messonnier warned that the U.S. should prepare for a “severe” disruption to everyday life.