Erica Schwartz Confirmed as CDC Director Amid Measles Surge and Declining Public Trust

On July 15, 2026, the U.S. Senate confirmed Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The vote concluded a year-long period during which the agency was run by acting directors, most recently Jay Bhattacharya, who also serves as director of the National Institutes of Health.

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The Trump administration’s first CDC director, Susan Monarez, was removed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in August 2025 after less than a month in office. Monarez later alleged that Kennedy dismissed her for refusing to “rubber-stamp” certain vaccine policies. Prior to her nomination, Schwartz served as deputy surgeon-general in the first Trump administration and as a rear admiral and chief medical officer in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Scientific American

Schwartz assumes leadership while the United States confronts a nationwide measles outbreak and a sharp rise in cyclosporiasis cases linked to iceberg lettuce, a parasitic infection that has killed at least two people. Public confidence in the CDC is at a historic low; a June poll reported that only 50 % of Americans trust the agency’s health recommendations, down from 77 % in the spring of 2025.

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She emphasized that, if confirmed, she would never compromise on the CDC’s mission. The Department of Health and Human Services has not commented on the confirmation.

Scientific American

• “If I’m confirmed as a CDC director, the nation’s health and well-being will take primacy, and I will never compromise on that,” — Erica Schwartz

Scientific American