As the CDC monitors 41 people for hantavirus and reports no positive cases tied to the outbreak, attention has turned to Adm. Brian Christine—an assistant health secretary and head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps—whose background as a urol
By the time the first wave of testing moved through Nebraska, Adm. Brian Christine was already a familiar name inside federal health circles. On May 11. he spoke to reporters at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. where some patients are being quarantined for hantavirus and undergoing testing for the Andes virus.
Now, even as the U.S. hantavirus response continues, his résumé as a physician—specifically his specialty in urology and men’s health—has become part of a larger political and institutional spotlight.
The CDC says 41 people in the United States are currently being monitored for hantavirus. The agency said there are no positive hantavirus cases in the U.S. tied to the outbreak.
Christine. an assistant health secretary and head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. is a licensed Alabama physician who specialized in penile implants and men’s health. He has emerged as a leading figure in the Trump administration’s response to an outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship. which has been known to sicken at least 10 people and kill three.
In the United States, more than 40 people are also being monitored for the Andes virus, a type of hantavirus that derives from rodents. Experts have said the risk of hantavirus to the public is low.
The emphasis on Christine’s professional background has come with friction in his public record. Multiple news outlets have reported on his skepticism toward past federal health responses, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a CNN report cast his views as far-right conspiracy theories.
In response to emailed questions, the Department of Health and Human Services referred to Christine’s May 15 X post. Christine said CNN was “baselessly smearing people as ‘far-right’ conspiracy theorists to delegitimize their opponents.” He added. “Thank God Donald Trump is our President and telling the truth is no longer a crime in America.”.
The White House did not respond to an email request for comment.
Christine’s remarks during the hantavirus response offer a window into how he frames the job. In a news briefing after speaking at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. he described the American response as “what [a] strong public health system looks like” and said “transparency is the order of the day.”.
He is a four-star uniformed officer leading over 5,000 public health professionals who respond to emerging health threats.
His role has also been shaped by the Senate confirmation that followed his nomination. Trump nominated Christine for the position in March 2025. In a July Senate committee hearing, Sen. Tommy Tuberville. R-Alabama. said Christine was a “medical expert.” Tuberville pointed to Christine’s experience in prosthetic urology and men’s health. with Christine telling senators he would bring the perspective of day-to-day patient care to HHS. In opening remarks. Christine said: “Treatment decisions and hard conversations with patients and their loved ones happen in the clinic. or in the emergency room. or at the bedside. ” adding. “They happen in community hospitals and medical offices. and that is where I practice. and that is what I know. Every organization. if it is to be successful. must have someone in a leadership position who lives and works on Main Street.”.
Christine told the Senate that the nation’s health institutions and policies were broken and that average Americans distrusted health care systems. He said the Trump administration was focused on addressing chronic disease, and he framed his mission as restoring trust and confidence in healthcare.
Even then, the confirmation debate included sharp divisions over vaccines. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, grilled Christine after asking whether Christine recommended the COVID-19 vaccine. Christine responded that. like any therapeutic or vaccine. it comes with “inherent risks and benefits. ” and later said he would ensure the patient would have access to good information. “That is pretty darn troubling,” Kaine said.
In October, the Senate confirmed Christine and a number of other administration nominees in a 51-47 vote, with all Democrats opposed.
At HHS, Christine replaced Dr. Rachel Levine, a pediatrician who was formerly Pennsylvania’s physician general and later the state’s health secretary. Levine served until Trump took office in 2025 and is transgender.
Separately, The Washington Post reported that Christine has frequently spoken out against rights for people who are transgender.
The résumé details that critics and supporters cite run from formal training to recent electoral bids. Christine earned his medical degree from Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta and completed his residency in urology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Tuberville said Christine is a board-certified urologic surgeon with more than 30 years of clinical experience serving patients in Birmingham, Alabama.
Christine worked at the Urology Centers of Alabama, a private practice. In 2022, he unsuccessfully ran for an Alabama state senate seat. A year later, he ran for a county commission seat before withdrawing, the Hoover Sun reported.
Christine’s federal profile also lists professional memberships. The federal Public Health Service website said he’s a member of the American Urologic Association, the Sexual Medicine Society of North America, the International Society for Sexual Medicine and the International Continence Society.
Years earlier. Christine hosted a YouTube show called “Erection Connection. ” speaking with other urologists on men’s health. including erectile dysfunction. He also promoted views questioning federal health systems, vaccines and public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. On his “Common Sense” YouTube show. he said health responses from the federal government and organized medicine injected “liberal and left values” to exert more government control.
Outside of health commentary, Christine has criticized the use of mail-in ballots during the 2020 election and said the “pandemic was used to influence the outcome of the 2020 elections.”
Trump’s second term has included several vacancies in key positions in HHS, including at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For now, the CDC’s bottom line on the current outbreak is still the same: 41 people monitored, and no positive cases in the U.S. tied to the outbreak. But the spotlight on Christine—where medicine, politics, and public trust collide—has moved far beyond the testing rooms in Nebraska.
hantavirus Andes virus CDC Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Brian Christine HHS MV Hondius urology Public trust COVID-19 vaccine debate