CDC Director's $375,000 Salary Outstrips Predecessors' As Well As HHS Secretary Alex Azar's Compensation

By private industry standards, Robert Redfield’s annual pay is modest for someone with his resume. But it is high for a government public health position. Redfield is being paid under a salary program called Title 42, which was established to attract health scientists with rare and critical skills to government work. The previous director, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, was being paid $197,300 a year.

The Associated Press: CDC Chief Makes $375K, Far Exceeding His Predecessors’ Pay

The new head of the nation’s top public health agency is getting paid nearly twice what his predecessor made and far more than other past directors, government officials confirmed. Dr. Robert Redfield Jr., 66, has long career as a top HIV researcher, but he had no experience working in public health or managing a public health agency. The U.S. government is paying him $375,000 a year to run the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.That’s nearly twice the annual compensation given to Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, who had the job for six months before resigning in January. Her annual pay rate was $197,300. (Stobbe, 4/23)

The Hill: New CDC Chief Makes Double His Predecessor's Salary: Report

Redfield's salary also eclipses his boss's, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar's, earnings. Azar’s salary is set by law, but Redfield is being paid under a program called Title 42 — a program that was created to draw in health scientists with rare and critical skills to government work. According to HHS, Title 42 enables the agency to quickly fill knowledge gaps so medical research can progress and to respond to medical emergencies. (Weixel, 4/23)

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