Dr. Erica Schwartz emerges as top candidate to lead CDC

Dr. Erica Schwartz has emerged as the leading candidate to become the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to current and former officials familiar with the matter. Schwartz, a Coast Guard rear admiral and former deputy U.S. surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term, has been recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to lead the agency. However, the nomination is not final and still requires approval from former President Trump, who has yet to decide whether to move forward with Schwartz or select another candidate.

Schwartz has a distinguished background in public health and military service, having spent more than 20 years in uniform across the U.S. Navy, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the U.S. Coast Guard. She left her role as deputy surgeon general in 2021. A physician by training, Schwartz earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a medical degree from Brown University. She also holds a master’s degree in public health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and a law degree from the University of Maryland.

The CDC has been without a permanent director since August, when Susan Monarez was ousted after just weeks on the job following clashes with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Prior to Monarez, the Trump administration’s first pick, former Rep. Dave Weldon of Florida, was withdrawn in March 2025 after Republican senators indicated he would not be confirmed. Since then, the agency has been led by a series of acting directors, including Jim O’Neill and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, who currently oversees the CDC in a dual role.

The agency has faced significant challenges in recent months, including multiple rounds of job cuts, declining morale, and a tragic shooting outside the CDC’s Atlanta campus that resulted in the death of a police officer. At a staff meeting in March, Bhattacharya acknowledged these struggles.

Schwartz would assume leadership amid ongoing controversy surrounding CDC vaccine policies under Kennedy’s direction. Last month, a Massachusetts federal judge blocked many vaccine policy changes made by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which Kennedy handpicked. The ruling also halted an overhaul of the childhood vaccination schedule. The CDC has not yet appealed the decision. This month, Kennedy signed a new charter for ACIP, a move health policy experts viewed as an attempt to circumvent the court ruling.

A spokesperson for HHS declined to comment, and White House spokesperson Kush Desai stated, “Any reporting about personnel decisions, unless officially announced by the White House, should be considered baseless speculation.” The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post were among the first to report on Schwartz’s potential nomination.