Former Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jay Butler left his position with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month as the agency’s deputy director of infectious diseases. His final day with the organization was May 31. Butler said he resigned because he felt he could do more to strengthen public health from outside of the federal government. He said he worries about the agency’s ability to respond to future health emergencies.
“Now we’ve seen the reality of cuts in funding, as well as firings and the loss of expertise," he said Thursday. "I worry that at the federal level, we’re going to be less prepared for particularly future infectious disease threats, whether they be natural or man-made.”
Butler describes his exit as a "controlled departure," clarifying that this was not an early retirement or a result of the “fork in the road” offer sent to federal employees in January. According to Butler, the resignation process began in February when he submitted the paperwork, but he'd been considering a departure even before then. He worked for the State of Alaska for just over four years, leaving in 2019 for his position at the CDC. Prior to working for the CDC, Butler also hosted Alaska Public Media’s Line One: Your Health Connection.
He said he sees room for improvement in how public health issues are communicated. He gave the example of vaccine hesitancy, saying mass communication about data probably isn’t the key to building trust. Instead, he thinks there needs to be a stronger focus on individual conversations away from social media.
“Oftentimes we have one on one conversations through X or through other social media platforms, where really it’s a performance," he said. "The message may be addressed to a single person, but it’s really being delivered for the thousands who are listening in, and that’s not really communication.”
When asked about his replacement, Butler said he was pleased with the person who is taking on his old role, though the exact nature of the position could be subject to change as the Trump administration finalizes its plans to reorganize the Department of Health and Human Services.
Butler plans to enjoy his first summer off in years before looking into working with other organizations focused on public health.
