The US Senate voted 51-44 on Wednesday to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general and retired US Coast Guard officer, was nominated for the job in April.
She’s a notable departure from prior contenders considered by the administration, who have toed the “Make America Healthy Again” line. She has a lengthy record of guiding vaccination programs and crises responses for the government – a stark contrast to Trump’s first CDC pick, whose nomination was withdrawn in part because it became clear that his vaccine skepticism would prevent him from getting the job.
The CDC has been without an official director for a year, since Dr. Susan Monarez was removed less than a month into the job after clashing with US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policies and his efforts to oust some senior CDC officials.
Kennedy installed his then-deputy secretary, Jim O’Neill, as interim head and sought to concentrate much of the decision-making among the department’s political leadership in Washington.
