Dr. Erica Schwartz emerges as White House's top pick for CDC leader
Dr. Erica Schwartz has emerged as the White House's top pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to current and former officials.
Updated on: April 15, 2026 / 11:42 AM EDT / CBS News
Schwartz, a Coast Guard rear admiral, served as deputy Surgeon General in the first Trump administration.
Schwartz spent 24 years in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
She is a graduate of Brown University's medical school and has a law degree from the University of Maryland.
The previous CDC director, Susan Monarez, was ousted from the role in August, just weeks after being confirmed , following clashes with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, then oversaw the CDC on an acting basis.