Trump nominates former Coast Guard doctor as CDC chief

Dr. Erica Schwartz is President Trump's nominee for CDC director. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

President Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, who served as deputy surgeon general in his first administration, to serve as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The nation's embattled public health agency has been without a confirmed leader for all but a month of Trump's second term.

"Erica graduated from Brown University for College and Medical School, and served a distinguished career as a Doctor of Medicine in the United States Military, the Greatest and Most Powerful Force in the World, and then served as my Deputy Surgeon General during my First Term. She is a STAR!" Trump posted on Truth Social.

He also announced three additional executive appointments to CDC: Sean Slovenski, a former Walmart executive, as the CDC deputy director and chief operating officer; Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the Texas health commissioner, as deputy director and chief medical officer; and Dr. Sara Brenner, a top deputy at the Food and Drug Administration, as senior counselor for public health to the health secretary.

Trump cited their collective "knowledge, experience, and TOP degrees" which he said in his post would "restore the GOLD STANDARD OF SCIENCE at the CDC."

The CDC director role nominee requires Senate approval. The CDC is currently led by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya in an acting capacity; he is also director of the National Institutes of Health. He took over as CDC lead in February, and is expected to continue in the role during the Senate confirmation process, which could take several months.

Schwartz, if confirmed, would work under Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who oversees the CDC.

Schwartz is a retired Rear Admiral and a board-certified preventive medicine physician. She previously served as chief medical officer of the U.S. Coast Guard, and as deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration. She has a medical degree from Brown University, a law degree from the University of Maryland, and a master's in public health degree from the Uniformed Services University, or USU.

"Rear Admiral Schwartz is really an outstanding person in all regards. Her academic training and intellect is second to none," says Admiral Brett Giroir who, as Assistant Secretary of Health in the first Trump administration, served as Schwartz's supervisor and worked closely with her on the national COVID testing strategy. "She's a person of the highest integrity and commitment to service to this country."

Admiral Paul Zukunft, the former commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, selected Schwartz to serve as their chief medical officer in 2015. He praised her brilliance as a doctor and a lawyer, her commitment to science, and her clear and diplomatic communication skills. "She was not in the least bit reticent when it came to talking truth to power," he says.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, head of the American Public Health Association, says his organization welcomes her nomination. "I think the administration has identified someone who is highly qualified, and has a demonstrated track record of competence in being both a good physician and a decent manager," says Benjamin. "Things she's said have clearly been based on good science."

Benjamin noted that Schwartz could become the first CDC director with a degree from the USU School of Medicine, which he described as "the West Point of medicine."

On Instagram, Schwartz presents herself as a public service-oriented physician focused on preventive care. Her short video posts have addressed loneliness, the importance of getting regular sleep and health screenings, the benefits of walking, and health priorities at different ages.

In a video posted earlier this month celebrating National Public Health Week, Schwartz describes her credentials: "When I was a military physician, my job was all about readiness. It was all about public health: prevention, vaccines, early detection. If we get that right, we change lives before illness ever begins," she says.

Administration officials have struggled to find a nominee who can get through Senate confirmation without alienating Kennedy's base, which has constituents with strong concerns about approved vaccines.

MAHA Action, a political group that supports Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again agenda, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The next CDC director will inherit an agency in turmoil and a staff demoralized by major cuts to staffing, budget and programs last year.