(WASHINGTON) — The Senate confirmed Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Monarez was confirmed by a vote of 51-47 along party lines on Tuesday evening. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) were absent.

She is the first CDC director nominee who required Senate confirmation after Congress passed a law requiring it in 2022.

Monarez holds a PhD, but she is the first CDC director without a medical degree since 1953.

In a post on X, the CDC wrote a congratulatory message to Monarez, saying that she “brings decades of distinguished experience in health innovation, disaster preparedness, global health, and biosecurity to [the CDC].”

“Dr. Monarez will lead [the CDC’s] efforts to prevent disease and res

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