Erica Schwartz
Erica G. Schwartz (born 1971 or 1972)[1] is an American health official who is the Director-designate of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Before being appointed in 2026, she served as a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and was Deputy Surgeon General from January 2019 to April 2021. Prior to this, she served in several positions with the U.S. Coast Guard, including as their Chief Medical Officer during 2015–2019, and before that as Chief of Health Services and Chief of Preventive Medicine at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, becoming its principal expert on flu pandemics.
Early life and education
[edit]Schwartz's father was a career Navy master chief petty officer stationed in San Diego, and she has three siblings who served in the military.[2] She enrolled in Brown University's eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education, graduating with a degree in biomedical engineering with a minor in East Asian studies in 1994, and an M.D. in 1998.[2] She was commissioned by the Navy in 1994.[2]
She earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2000, and completed a residency in occupational and environmental medicine there in 2001. Schwartz also earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland in 2005,[3] and has been admitted to the District of Columbia Bar.[4]
Career
[edit]Early career
[edit]Schwartz was in the U.S. Navy until 2005.[5] She was an occupational medicine physician with postings that included Chief of the Occupational Medicine Clinic and the Immunization Clinic and serving as the Preventive Medicine Department Head of the Annapolis, Maryland Naval Medical Clinic. Schwartz also served at the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center in Portsmouth, Virginia.[4]
In 2005, she transferred from the Navy to the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.[5] She served as Chief of Preventive Medicine during 2005–2013 and Chief of Health Services during 2013–2015, at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC.[4][6] She was appointed as the Coast Guard's principal expert on flu pandemics. Schwartz was awarded one Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, both the Coast Guard and Navy Commendation Medals, and in 2011 was recognized as one of the Military Health System female physicians of the year.[4]
Coast Guard Chief Medical Officer
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Schwartz was appointed to the rank of rear admiral in the PHS Commissioned Corps and became the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Medical Officer on August 17, 2015.[5][4] As chief, she concurrently served as the Coast Guard's Director of Health, Safety and Work-Life and had responsibility for managing the service's 42 clinics and 150 sick bays. She oversaw the Coast Guard's environmental health and safety program, focusing on risk management and accident prevention. She also led the service's work-life programs including: child care, culinary services, substance abuse prevention, suicide prevention, sexual assault prevention, personal financial management, ombudsman, health promotion, and employee assistance.[4]
In January 2018, Schwartz testified before the House Transportation Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on the need for the service to transition to an electronic health record system, in line with the other services of the U.S. Armed Forces. She stated that the current paper-based record and prescription system did not allow efficient transfer of records from the Coast Guard to the Department of Veterans Affairs.[7]
Deputy Surgeon General
[edit]Schwartz was appointed Deputy Surgeon General on January 1, 2019. She was the point person for the Department of Health and Human Services during the presidential transition from the first Trump administration to the Biden administration. She was not chosen by the incoming Biden administration to serve as Acting Surgeon General, and chose to resign in early 2021, concluding 27 years of combined uniformed service.[8][9]
Private career
[edit]From 2022 to June 2026, Schwartz was President of Insurance Solutions for Medicare and Retirement at United Healthcare.[10][11][12] She additionally joined the board of directors of Georgia-based home care provider Aveanna Healthcare in May 2021,[6] and of medical imaging company Butterfly Network in September 2021.[13] As of June 2026, Schwartz remained a board member of these two organizations, as well as Searching for Solutions Institute.[11]
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[edit]On April 16, 2026, President Donald Trump named Schwartz as his nominee for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[14] In a July 2026 Senate nomination hearing, Schwartz stated that she supported the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization.[15]
On August 5, 2026, Schwartz was confirmed by the Senate as CDC Director in a 51–44 vote, becoming its first permanent leader in over a year.[16][17]
References
[edit]- ↑ Marcos, Coral Murphy (July 15, 2026). "CDC nominee Erica Schwartz pressed on whether she will resist RFK Jr's vaccine agenda". The Guardian. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Bunch, Will (April–May 2020). "Health Warrior". Brown Alumni Magazine. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Class Action". University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Fall 2021. p. 5. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
Erica Schwartz '05 was elected to the board of directors of Aveanna.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz" (PDF). US Coast Guard. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- 1 2 3 Braynard, Katie (August 17, 2015). "Rear Adm. Erica Schwartz to take over as chief medical officer". Coast Guard All Hands. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- 1 2 "Aveanna Elects Former Deputy Surgeon General Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH to Board of Directors". Aveanna. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ↑ Cebul, Daniel (February 1, 2018). "GAO: Manual health records put Coast Guard personnel at risk". Federal Times. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ↑ Diamond, Dan (January 25, 2021). "Biden to tap nurse as acting surgeon general". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ↑ Diamond, Dan (January 20, 2021). "Surgeon General resigns at Biden's request". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ↑ "Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc.: Schedule 14A". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. March 30, 2022. p. 12. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- 1 2 Singh, Puyaan; Renshaw, Jarrett (June 22, 2026). "Trump CDC nominee Schwartz to resign posts, sell holdings if confirmed". Reuters. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
- ↑ Levien, Simon J.; Gardner, Sophie (July 23, 2026). "Senate Health Committee delays vote on CDC nominee". Politico. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ Parker, Kevin (September 10, 2021). "Butterfly Network Appoints Erica Schwartz to Board". citybiz. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ↑ "Trump officially taps health veteran to lead CDC, avoiding vaccine skeptics". The Washington Post.
- ↑ Mole, Beth (July 16, 2026). "Two Trump health nominees crash and burn in tense Senate hearing". Ars Technica. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "New CDC director is confirmed, giving agency its first permanent leader in a year". NBC News. August 5, 2026. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
- ↑ Mandavilli, Apoorva (August 5, 2026). "Senate Confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as C.D.C. Director". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH - Deputy Surgeon General Official Bio Archived 2020-10-24 at the Wayback Machine
Media related to Erica G. Schwartz at Wikimedia Commons
- 1970s births
- Living people
- Brown University alumni
- Medical personnel for the United States Coast Guard
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences alumni
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County alumni
- Female United States Navy officers
- United States Public Health Service personnel
- United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps admirals
- Recipients of the Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
- Alpert Medical School alumni
- 21st-century African-American women