President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general, to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a social media post, Trump described Schwartz as “incredibly talented” and said, “She’s a star!”
The Atlanta-based CDC, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats, has been in disarray since Trump returned to office more than a year ago with a series of mostly interim leaders.
The agency is overseen by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has vowed not to change the nation’s vaccination schedule. But shortly after taking office, Kennedy said he would review the childhood vaccination schedule and went on to attempt a major rewrite of childhood vaccination recommendations. Some of those efforts were recently put on hold by a federal judge.
The administration’s first choice to run the CDC was former Florida congressman Dr. David Weldon, but his March 2025 Senate hearing was canceled an hour before it was scheduled to begin. Weldon said at the time that he was told that not enough senators were willing to vote for him.
The White House then shifted to Susan Monareza, who served as the CDC’s acting director. Monarez was confirmed by the Senate, but less than a month later she was impeached. Trump administration officials said she was not in line with their agenda, so they terminated her.
Several key CDC scientific leaders resigned in protest, saying that Monareza’s removal dashed their hopes that the CDC director would be able to protect himself from political interference in the agency’s scientific research and health recommendations.
Since then, there has been a revolving door at the agency’s leadership, with the short-lived acting director role being passed from one Washington-based HHS official to another. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya has been overseeing the CDC for the past several weeks.
During a House Appropriations Committee hearing Thursday, Kennedy said the new CDC team is “extraordinary.”
“I think this new team will really be able to change the CDC and get it back on track,” he said.
Schwartz holds several academic credentials, including medical and law degrees. She spent much of her career in military uniform, including a leadership position with the US Coast Guard, where she oversaw a system of 41 clinics and 150 dispensaries.
She later served as deputy surgeon general, helping to lead the uniformed medical and health care professionals assigned to the CDC and government health agencies that serve the general public.
Schwartz could not be reached for comment.
Trump also announced the appointment of Sean Slovenski, a former Walmart executive, as the CDC’s deputy director and chief operating officer. Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the Texas health commissioner, has been named CDC deputy director and chief medical officer. And Dr. Sara Brenner, former administrator of the Food and Drug Administration, was appointed by Kennedy as chief public health adviser.
In a social media post Thursday, Kennedy congratulated Schwartz and the other appointees, saying he “looks forward to working together to restore trust, accountability and scientific integrity” at the CDC.
But Aaron Siri, a lawyer and Kennedy ally in challenging vaccines and drug companies, criticized Schwartz’s selection. In a social media post, Siri criticized Schwartz’s past promotion of vaccinations, saying he “lacks the basic ethics and morals to lead the CDC.”
Schwartz’s nomination comes as Dr. Casey Means, Trump’s pick for another key health-related role, U.S. surgeon general, has struggled to be confirmed.
Means’ languishing nomination after appearing at a confirmation hearing in February reflects the skepticism lawmakers in both parties have expressed about the direction Kennedy has taken his department.
Disclaimer: This story was published from the agency’s news feed without editing the text. Only the title was changed.
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