Trump’s new CDC director is a University of Maryland, Baltimore, alum

The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a University of Maryland, Baltimore, alum who once held a leadership role at the Naval Medical Clinic in Annapolis.

Erica Schwartz, who earned a law degree from UMB in 2005, was confirmed last week by the U.S. Senate to serve as the CDC’s first full-time director in almost a year. She is President Donald Trump’s third nominee to lead the CDC since he returned to office last year, and she previously served as deputy surgeon general during his first term.

In a social media post this spring, the president called her “incredibly talented” and “a STAR.”

Schwartz served in the U.S. Navy from 1997 to 2005 as an occupational medicine physician and head of the Preventive Medicine Department at the Naval Medical Clinic in Annapolis. She earned degrees from Brown University and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences before receiving her law degree.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The CDC director is charged with coordination between the federal government and states during outbreaks and public health emergencies. Schwartz will also approve vaccine policy changes and oversee health data collection.

In her confirmation hearing, Schwartz expressed support for the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization, but broke with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s stance on vaccines.

She told lawmakers that mRNA technology, which was used to develop COVID-19 vaccines, is “safe and effective.” Kennedy last year canceled federal research funding for mRNA vaccine research.

“As CDC director, my sacred responsibility is to provide the American people with public health guidance that is clear, honest and evidence-based,” Schwartz said. “I will never betray the science.”

Vaccines have been a point of contention during Trump’s second term. The president withdrew his first nominee for CDC director since returning to office, Dr. Dave Weldon, after lawmakers expressed concern about Weldon’s vaccine skepticism.

Then Dr. Susan Monarez, a scientist and public health official, was confirmed but removed from the position after less than a month for clashing with Kennedy over vaccine policies.

Schwartz said in her confirmation hearing that she would commit to collecting better data on abortions, also known as abortion surveillance.

“I also want to make sure that certain states are not conflating emergency services and hiding abortions in that emergency services case definition,” she said.

Schwartz steps in to lead the CDC as the agency works to contain a measles outbreak and rising cases of cyclosporiasis. The agency also faces proposed budget cuts.

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