After a month without a confirmed leader at the CDC, President Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz to become the director of the public health agency.
Dr. Schwartz is a retired Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who served as chief medical officer of the U.S. Coast Guard. A board-certified preventive medicine physician, she was also deputy surgeon general during the first Trump administration.
The nomination does not yet grant Dr. Schwartz the position, as the role requires Senate approval. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who is also the director of the National Institutes of Health, has been in acting capacity since February. He will continue to remain in the role until the Senate confirmation is complete, which could be several months from now.