Casey Means, a physician-turned-entrepreneur and prominent advocate for the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, appears before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for a confirmation hearing as America’s general.
Means, who was nominated by Donald Trump on May 7, 2025, would become the nation’s top public health spokesman if confirmed. Her nomination followed the withdrawal of Trump’s earlier pick, Janette Nesheiwat.
If approved, Means would oversee more than 6,000 members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and serve as the federal government’s leading public health communicator.
Education and medical background
Means graduated from the Madeira School in 2005 and then earned a bachelor’s degree in human biology with honors from Stanford University in 2009. In 2014, she received her doctorate from Stanford University School of Medicine and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
After medical school, she began a five-year otolaryngology residency in head and neck surgery at Oregon Health & Science University. However, she left the program six months before completion, citing stress and disillusionment with the American healthcare system. She did not become board certified in the field without completing her residency. Her Oregon medical license expired on January 1, 2024.
Her incomplete residency and inactive license emerged as central points of debate ahead of the hearing.
Business enterprises
After leaving clinical medicine, Means entered the health technology and wellness sector. She founded Levels, a startup that uses continuous glucose monitors to track how food and lifestyle choices affect metabolic health. The Society promotes the view that metabolic dysfunction is the primary driver of chronic disease.
She was also listed as an investor or advisor in Truemed, a company founded by her brother Calley Means. The company helps certify certain wellness programs as medically necessary, allowing customers to use health savings accounts or receive tax benefits.
Means has monetized its social media presence through supplement and wellness product sponsorships, but has vowed to end those partnerships if confirmed.
In 2024, she co-authored Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, in which she argues that poor metabolic health underlies many chronic diseases. She called for the removal of ultra-processed foods from school lunches and reform of agricultural and health incentive systems.
Her message is closely related to the agenda of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and served as an adviser during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Controversy
Means’ nomination received strong support from Kennedy allies and sharp criticism from some public health experts.
She questioned aspects of the childhood vaccination schedule and criticized the universal birth dose for hepatitis B. Organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics say the CDC’s immunization schedule is safe and evidence-based.
Senators are expected to weigh whether Means represents a reform-minded public health communicator — or an unconventional candidate whose background is markedly different from past surgeons general.
The outcome of the hearing could shape the direction of public health reporting in the US for years to come.
