Trump Nominates 'Vaccine Advocate' as CDC Director

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Erica Schwartz, former Deputy Surgeon General from the first Trump administration, as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On the 16th (local time), President Trump announced on the social networking service Truth Social, "I am honored to nominate Dr. Erica Schwartz, who possesses outstanding capabilities, as CDC Director," adding, "She is a star."

CDC Headquarters in the U.S. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News

원본보기 아이콘

Nominee Schwartz previously served as Deputy Surgeon General during the first Trump administration. She graduated from Brown University for both undergraduate and medical school, and served as a U.S. military physician. While working for the U.S. Coast Guard, she oversaw disease surveillance and vaccination programs.

The CDC Director requires formal appointment after Senate confirmation.

According to the New York Times (NYT) and other sources, Schwartz is a 'vaccine advocate' who has publicly supported vaccines and preventive medicine.

Previously, former CDC Director Susan Monarez was dismissed at the end of August last year, less than a month into her tenure, after clashing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., who is known as a 'vaccine skeptic.' Secretary Kennedy had publicly expressed distrust of vaccines, while former Director Monarez rejected his changes in vaccine policy, such as vaccine research cuts and the dissolution of advisory committees. Following Monarez's dismissal, the CDC Director position remained vacant for about eight months, with Jim O'Neill, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), serving as acting directors.

The NYT analyzed that this nomination is a strong signal that, ahead of the midterm elections in November, the Trump administration is moving away from Secretary Kennedy's 'vaccine skepticism.' Since vaccine policy is directly tied to the votes of parents, it is seen as a politically motivated decision.

Meanwhile, on the same day, President Trump also nominated Sean Slovenski, a senior executive at Walmart, as CDC Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO); Jennifer Shuford, Director of the Texas Department of State Health Services, as CDC Deputy Director and Chief Medical Officer (CMO); and former Acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director Sarah Brenner as Senior Public Health Advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.