President Donald Trump on April 16 said he nominated a new director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Dr. Erica Schwartz will lead the CDC, pending Senate confirmation. Trump called Schwartz, who holds a medical degree, a juris doctorate, and a master’s degree in public health, “incredibly talented” and “a STAR.”
Schwartz’s professional background includes serving as a doctor in the U.S. military, working as chief medical officer of the Coast Guard, and holding the position of deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first term.
In Trump’s second term, the CDC has had a permanent director for only about one month. Trump fired Susan Monarez on Aug. 27, 2025, about four weeks after the Senate confirmed her, after Monarez clashed with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccines….