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2w ago

California Launches PHNIX, Recruits Former CDC Leaders to Modernize Public Health

California casts the effort as a science-first response to sweeping federal shifts at HHS/CDC.

FILE - Debra Houry testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
FILE - Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Monarez is a health scientist with a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology who previously served as the Deputy Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange with Susan Monarez and Debra Houry in advisory leadership roles.
  • Monarez becomes strategic health technology and funding adviser, Houry serves as senior regional and global public health medical adviser, and Katelyn Jetelina will advise CDPH and lead Project Stethoscope.
  • PHNIX targets data modernization, artificial intelligence tools, sustainable funding frameworks, and multi-state and global partnerships to strengthen preparedness and surveillance.
  • Lawmakers set aside $4 million to launch the initiative, with specifics on spending, salaries, partner commitments, and delivery timelines still undisclosed.
  • Both Monarez and Houry departed the CDC after clashes with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Newsom says PHNIX is a shield against federal politicization while building on the West Coast Health Alliance and the Governors Public Health Alliance.