Summary
President Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz, his former deputy surgeon general, to be the permanent director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He also appointed several other officials to top roles at the agency, which has faced leadership challenges and staff morale problems.
Key Facts
- Erica Schwartz was nominated by President Trump to lead the CDC.
- The CDC has lacked a permanent political leader since August, after Susan Monarez was fired.
- Schwartz served 24 years in the Coast Guard and reached the rank of rear admiral.
- She holds a medical degree from Brown University and a law degree from the University of Maryland.
- Trump appointed Sean Slovenski as CDC deputy director and chief operating officer.
- Jennifer Shuford was named deputy director and chief medical officer at the CDC.
- Sara Brenner was appointed senior counselor for public health to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- The CDC director nomination requires Senate approval, and Schwartz’s public health background may help her confirmation.
