President Donald Trump has nominated Erica Schwartz, MD, as the next CDC director, he said in an April 16 social media post.
Dr. Schwartz, a retired Coast Guard rear admiral, served as deputy surgeon general during President Trump’s first term. She graduated from Brown University’s medical school and has a law degree from the University of Maryland. As of May 2025, Dr. Schwartz served as president of insurance solutions at UnitedHealthcare, SEC filings show. The insurer has not confirmed whether she is currently in that position.
Dr. Schwartz will need to be confirmed by the Senate before taking the post.
He also named Sean Slovenski as the CDC Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Jennifer Shuford, MD, MPH, as the CDC Deputy Director and Chief Medical Officer, and Dr. Sara Brenner, MD, MPH, as Senior Counselor for Public Health to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
This will be the White House’s third and latest attempt to fill the post that has been largely vacant during Trump’s second term. In March, the administration said it was delaying the pick for CDC director. The CDC has been without a permanent director for all but 29 days since January 2025.
The previous CDC director, Susan Monarez, PhD, was abruptly fired from her role Aug. 27 after refusing to resign. Her removal came after a clash with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Jay Bhattacharya, MD, the director of the National Institutes of Health, has since overseen the CDC on an acting basis.
Editor’s note: Becker’s has reached out to UnitedHealthcare for comment and will update the article as more information becomes available.
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