Trump Names Experienced Public Health Official to Lead the CDC

President Trump’s new pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Erica Schwartz, is a public health veteran who has led vaccination programs, a sign of the administration’s shifting views on vaccines. The CDC director traditionally has the final say on U.S. vaccine policy, Reuters reported.

Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general during the ‌COVID-19 pandemic and was involved in the federal pandemic response, helping to coordinate national preparedness and public health efforts, Reuters reported. She also spent 24 years in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as a rear admiral in the Coast Guard. The doctor holds a medical degree from Brown University and a law degree from the University of Maryland, CNN reported.

Schwartz’s nomination came hours after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presented a more supportive message of vaccines during a congressional hearing on April 16, calling the measles shot safe and effective “for most people,” according to CNN.

Reuters also reported that Trump was naming healthcare executive Sean Slovenski as CDC deputy director CEO, Texas Health Commissioner Jen Shuford ​as CDC deputy director and chief medical officer, and Food and Drug Administration official Sara Brenner as senior counselor for public health to Kennedy.

The nominations follow a Massachusetts judge blocking key parts of Kennedy’s effort to reshape U.S. vaccine policy in March. The U.S. judge halted a move to reduce the number of shots routinely recommended fo