ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Trump nominates former Deputy Surgeon General as CDC director
Schwartz, who does not have a widely publicized position on vaccines, has been praised by former public health officials who have been critical of Kennedy's vaccine policies.
-
Reuters - Thu, 16, Apr 2026
- 17:33 EDT
- 17
File Photo / REUTERS/Megan Varner
U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 16 he would nominate Erica Schwartz, who had served as deputy surgeon general during the COVID-19 pandemic, to become director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following multiple leadership shakeups at the health agency.
Schwartz, who served during Trump's first term, was involved in the federal COVID response, helping to coordinate national preparedness and public health efforts.
Also Read: Kennedy to launch public health podcast ahead of US midterm elections
The nomination represents a far more traditional pick for the embattled health agency, as the White House seeks to focus on more popular issues such as lowering drug prices and food safety, rather than Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s controversial vaccine policies with Republicans bracing for a difficult November midterm election.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, also said he was naming healthcare executive Sean Slovenski, Texas Health Commissioner Jen Shuford and FDA official Sara Brenner to senior CDC roles.
If approved, Schwartz would lead the Atlanta-based agency, which tracks and responds to domestic and foreign threats to public health. The CDC director traditionally has the final say on U.S. vaccine policy.
She would report to Kennedy, who has long questioned the safety of vaccines, contrary to established science.
Trump fired CDC Director Susan Monarez last August over her objections to vaccine policy changes planned by Kennedy. Her position was filled by two acting directors: Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill, who was succeeded in February by Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Schwartz, who does not have a widely publicized position on vaccines, has been praised by former public health officials who have been critical of Kennedy's vaccine policies.
Demetre Daskalakis, former CDC director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases who resigned after Monarez's firing, said Schwartz showed "good leadership" during the COVID response and has a "proven track record... notably with pandemic preparedness."
Polls have shown most voters disapprove of Kennedy's moves to overhaul the childhood vaccination schedule.
Discover more at New India Abroad
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login