Life
Senate Confirms Erica Schwartz as First Black Woman to Lead CDC
The Senate, earlier this week, confirmed Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a 51-44 vote, making her the first Black woman to lead the agency. A former Coast Guard officer and deputy surgeon general with medical and law degrees, Dr. Schwartz fills a leadership post that has been vacant for a year.
Her confirmation hinged on assurances that she would resist unscientific directives from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose history of vaccine skepticism has alarmed the medical establishment.
Though selected by President Donald Trump, Dr. Schwartz pledged to lawmakers that she would provide evidence-based guidance and “never betray the science.” Public health advocates now challenge her to protect agency staff and safeguard institutional independence amid ongoing political turmoil.