(CNN) — Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill is expected to serve as acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an administration official and another person familiar with the matter.

O’Neill joined HHS in June after years as a Silicon Valley-based technology and biotech investor, including stints with the Thiel Foundation and later the Thiel Fellowship, a grant program for young entrepreneurs started by billionaire Palantir founder Peter Thiel.

O’Neill also worked for HHS during the George W. Bush administration, when, as principal associate deputy secretary, he led changes to food regulation and emergency response.

The Washington Post first reported O’Neill’s new role.

He assumes the role amid turmoil for the CDC in the wak

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