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President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seeking to install new leadership at an agency that has faced months of instability and controversy.
Trump announced the nomination on social media, praising Schwartz’s military and medical background and calling her “a STAR.” Schwartz previously served as deputy U.S. surgeon general during Trump’s first term and spent more than two decades in uniform across multiple branches, including the Navy and the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
If confirmed by the Senate, Schwartz would take over an agency that has been without a permanent director since August and has undergone a series of leadership changes tied to internal disputes and broader policy shifts.
The president also named a slate of additional health officials to senior roles, including Sean Slovenski as the CDC’s chief operating officer, Dr. Jennifer Shuford as chief medical director and Dr. Sara Brenner as senior counselor for public health to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr..
The nominations come as the CDC continues to navigate significant internal upheaval. The administration’s initial pick for the role, former Rep. Dave Weldon, was withdrawn in 2025 after facing resistance from Republican senators. Subsequent leadership changes saw acting director Dr. Susan Monarez dismissed after clashing with Kennedy over vaccine policy, followed by interim leadership under Jim O’Neill and later Jay Bhattacharya in a dual role.
Schwartz would inherit an agency at the center of ongoing legal and policy battles. A federal judge last month blocked key changes to the nation’s childhood vaccination schedule, siding with a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups. The ruling halted actions taken by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which had been reshaped under Kennedy’s direction.
In response, Kennedy approved a new charter for the advisory panel this month, a move that some public health experts say is intended to work around the court’s decision.
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a former CDC official who resigned last year in protest of Monarez’s dismissal, said the new leadership team could be effective but warned of potential challenges.
“This is a team with great potential if political interference and the self-interest of the secretary of health doesn’t hamper their ability to deliver for the health of the country,” Daskalakis said.
Kennedy welcomed Schwartz’s nomination, saying in a post on social media that he looked forward to working together to restore “trust, accountability, and scientific integrity” at the agency.
Schwartz’s background includes degrees in biomedical engineering and medicine from Brown University, as well as a master’s in public health and a law degree. Her nomination now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to scrutinize both her qualifications and the administration’s broader approach to public health policy.
The confirmation process is likely to unfold against the backdrop of continuing debates over vaccine guidance, agency independence and the federal government’s role in shaping public health decisions.
