Trump announces he's nominating Dr. Erica Schwartz for CDC director
CBS News reported Wednesday that Dr. Erica Schwartz was emerging as the president's top pick for the role.
Updated on: April 16, 2026 / 4:00 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — President Trump announced Thursday that he's nominating Dr. Erica Schwartz to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Schwartz, who served Mr. Trump's deputy surgeon general during his first term, is a Coast Guard rear admiral. She received her medical degree from Brown University and also holds a law degree from the University of Maryland.
"She is a STAR!" the president wrote on Truth Social, also calling her "incredibly talented."
She currently serves as the Coast Guard's director of health, safety and work-life, overseeing the branch's system of 41 clinics and 150 sick bays, among other responsibilities. She has also instituted anthrax and smallpox vaccination policies, overseen disaster responses and responded to the Ebola crisis.