The US Food and Drug Administration is facing one of its biggest leadership crises in recent years. Several top officials left the agency on Friday. The exits have created more uncertainty inside the nation’s top health watchdog. Tracy Beth Høeg, the acting head of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said she was fired. She made the claim in a social media post late Friday. Høeg said she had served six months in the role before being removed. Høeg also told several media outlets that she refused to resign. After that, she said the agency dismissed her. Her exit came during a week of major changes inside the FDA. The agency also lost Katherine Szarama, the acting head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. She had only been in the role for about 10 days. Reports said she is now leaving the agency as well. Jim Traficant, the FDA chief of staff, also left his post. These sudden departures have left the FDA without permanent leaders in several major positions. The agency currently has no permanent commissioner or deputy commissioner. It also lacks permanent heads for two major divisions that oversee drugs and vaccines. The leadership changes began earlier in the week after Marty Makary stepped down from his role as FDA commissioner. Staff members reportedly learned about his departure through an internal email on Friday afternoon. Before that message arrived, many workers had already suspected changes were happening. Reports said Makary’s photo had been removed from the FDA headquarters building. President Donald Trump had also posted comments on social media that hinted at changes inside the agency. Kyle Diamantas, who previously led the FDA’s food division, will now serve as acting commissioner. He will temporarily oversee the agency during the transition period. The FDA has faced growing criticism in recent months. The agency has dealt with disputes over vaccine decisions, drug approvals, and staff layoffs. Many employees have also reported low morale. Høeg became a well-known public figure during the Covid-19 pandemic. She questioned the safety and need for some Covid vaccines. She also focused on collecting reports of vaccine side effects. Before joining the FDA leadership team, Høeg worked as an adviser to Makary. She also pushed for changes to the US childhood vaccine schedule. She wanted it to match the system used in Denmark, where she studied epidemiology and holds citizenship. Høeg worked as a sports medicine physician before entering the federal health system. Critics pointed out that she did not have strong experience in drug regulation before taking the FDA role. Her departure marks another leadership change at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The division has now had five different leaders within one year. According to reports, Michael Davis will now serve as acting director of the center. Davis currently works as the division’s deputy director. The vaccine division has also seen repeated leadership turnover. Szarama had replaced Vinay Prasad, another controversial FDA official who left the agency last month. Karim Mikhail is now expected to temporarily lead the vaccine center. Before joining the FDA, Mikhail worked as chief executive of a pharmaceutical company called Amarin. The latest departures have increased concerns about stability inside the FDA. Health experts say strong leadership is important because the agency oversees drug approvals, vaccine safety, and medical products used by millions of Americans. Some former officials worry that constant leadership changes may slow important decisions. Others fear it could weaken public trust in the agency during a time of growing political debate around public health. The FDA remains one of the most powerful health agencies in the world. Its decisions affect medicine, vaccines, food safety, and public health policy across the United States. For now, the agency faces a difficult period as temporary leaders take control and questions continue to grow about its future direction.