New CDC director is confirmed, giving agency its first permanent leader in a year

BREAKING NEWSAug. 5, 2026, 7:11 PM UTCHealth newsHealth newsNew CDC director is confirmed, giving agency its first permanent leader in a yearThe Senate voted in favor of Dr. Erica Schwartz, who was deputy surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Erica Schwartz attends her CDC director nomination hearing on July 15.Finn Gomez / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Aria BendixThe Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making her the health agency’s first permanent director in roughly a year.Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term; before that, she was a Navy physician and chief medical officer in the Coast Guard.A series of acting directors have led the CDC since August 2025, when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Susan Monarez after 29 days in the role. Schwartz takes over from Jay Bhattacharya, who has helmed the agency since February while also directing the National Institutes of Health. Federal law required the Trump administration to nominate a permanent director in March, but Schwartz’s nomination came a month after the deadline.As CDC director, Schwartz will oversee the country’s public health response, including approving vaccine recommendations and helping contain disease outbreaks. She will inherit a measles crisis — the U.S. has recorded its highest number of cases in 35 years — and a growing outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection that has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce. Schwartz will also have to contend with rising rates of vaccine hesitancy, which some experts say Kennedy’s rhetoric and policies have exacerbated.Though Schwartz was widely seen as a conventional pick for CDC director, some public health experts said she didn’t do enough at a Senate hearing last month to distance herself from some of Kennedy’s more controversial stances....