The Senate has voted to confirm Erica Schwartz, MD, MPH, JD, as the new director of the CDC. Her confirmation marks a significant transition for the agency, providing it with its first permanent leader in a year. Schwartz, a retired rear admiral in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, takes over an agency that has been led by a series of acting directors since August 2025, when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr fired the previous director after only 29 days.
Schwartz brings decades of experience to the role, having served 27 years in combined uniformed service. She began her career as a Navy physician before transferring to the Public Health Service, where she served as the Chief Medical Officer for the US Coast Guard from 2015 to 2019.
In that capacity, she was the principal expert on influenza pandemics and managed 42 clinics and 150 sick bays. She later served as the Deputy Surgeon General from 2019 to 2021, acting as a key point person during the presidential transition.
Her educational background is equally extensive, holding a medical degree from Brown University, a Master of Public Health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and a JD from the University of Maryland. Before her nomination, she served in the private sector as an executive at United Healthcare and on the boards of multiple health care companies.
President Donald Trump nominated Schwartz on April 16, 2026, although the nomination arrived a month past the legal deadline. Her path to confirmation was marked by a contentious Senate hearing in July, where she faced scrutiny regarding her independence from Secretary Kennedy.
Although Schwartz affirmed that vaccines are “safe and effective,” she drew criticism from some public health advocates for dodging questions about Kennedy’s specific policy changes and for supporting the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
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Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, initially accused her of evading questions but ultimately supported her nomination after receiving assurances she would push back against those who do not follow scientific guidance.
Schwartz assumes leadership during a volatile period for American public health. She must immediately address a measles crisis that has reached a 35-year high in the US, as well as a growing Cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated produce.
She will be responsible for managing rising rates of vaccine hesitancy and handling the ongoing restructuring of the nation’s immunization schedules. In her testimony to Congress, Schwartz pledged that her “sacred responsibility” is to provide clear, honest, and evidence-based guidance, stating emphatically, “I will never betray the science.”
The CDC faces significant challenges, and Schwartz‘s leadership will play a key role in addressing these issues. As the CDC works to combat the measles crisis and Cyclospora outbreak, it’s clear that Schwartz has a tough road ahead of her – and it is likely that her experience will be invaluable in this context.
According to the report, Schwartz has the support of the American Public Health Association, which cited her strong leadership skills and medical background. The CDC will likely continue to face challenges in the coming months, and Schwartz‘s ability to lead the agency effectively will be closely watched, particularly in regards to public health treatment and policy changes.
