Trump CDC pick Erica Schwartz confirmed to lead nation’s top public health agency
On Wednesday the U.S. Senate confirmed Erica Schwartz to head the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Her confirmation gives the nation’s top public health body a leader after almost a year of acting directors, most recently Jay Bhattacharya, who serves as director of the National Institutes of Health. The current Trump administration’s first CDC director, Susan Monarez, was fired by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in August 2025, after less than a month in the role.
Prior to becoming CDC chief, Schwartz was deputy surgeon general—a civilian position that isn’t politically appointed—in the first Trump administration and a rear admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard, where she served as chief medical officer.
On supporting science journalism
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
At a recent hearing before senators prior to her confirmation, Schwartz insisted that she would stand up to Kennedy on matters of public health when necessary. Schwartz’s predecessor Monarez said Kennedy had ousted her because she refused to rubber-stamp certain vaccine policies. The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.
“If I’m confirmed as a CDC director, the nation’s health and well-being will take primacy, and I will never compromise on that,” Schwartz said at the hearing.
Schwartz takes the helm of the CDC at a perilous moment: The U.S. is in the throes of a nationwide measles outbreak and skyrocketing cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection that has so far been linked to iceberg lettuce and has killed at least two people. At the same time, public faith in the nation’s top public health body is at a nadir. A poll released in June found that just 50 percent of Americans said they trusted the agency’s health recommendations, compared with 77 percent in the spring of 2025.
Editor’s Note (8/5/26): This is a developing story and may be updated.
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.