The First Black Woman Could Soon Lead the CDC, but Can She Restore Trust?

If Erica Schwartz becomes the first Black woman to head the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she’ll walk into an agency that for more than a year has been beleaguered by turmoil: resignations, deep staff cuts, and major changes to vaccine policies.

During her confirmation hearing this week, the physician faced senators’ questions about whether she can restore public confidence in the CDC and maintain scientific independence under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose stances on established science have sparked controversy.

Schwartz vowed not to betray science, but she repeatedly hedged or dodged when asked about whether she’d push back against Kennedy if he asked her to carry out a task that wasn’t backed by science. 

“The secretary absolutely will allow me to be the CDC director,” she said. “That is why I’m sitting here before you.”

When pressed again, Schwartz insisted that she would not be unduly influenced.

“I have always stood up for what is right and what is true, and I believe that I will continue to do that,” she said. “You have my assurances that I will do that. I will never betray the science ever. I will go where the science leads us. I will not have predetermined answers to conclusions.”

Wednesday’s hearing was with the Senate Health, Education, Labor, And Pensions Committee. That committee will now decide whether to move her nomination to a full Senate vote.

Is Erica Schwartz the first Black nominee? 

No, but if Schwartz is confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to lead the CDC. 

President Donald Trump’s Cabinet has attracted attention for its lack of diversity. The sole Black member of his Cabinet is Scott Turner, who’s serving as the U.S. secretary of housing and urban development.

David Satcher was the first Black CDC director, leading the agency from 1993 to 1998.

Schwartz was the deputy surgeon general during the first Trump administration and is a board-certified preventive medicine physician.

What will the next CDC chief inherit?

If confirmed, Schwartz will take over a CDC that has been engulfed in chaos since Kennedy was appointed to lead the agency charged with protecting public health and safety.

The CDC has faced a revolving door of leadership. Schwartz is the fourth person who’s been named or nominated to lead the agency since last summer. One CDC staff member told Stat News earlier this year that, with Schwartz, “the general vibe is guarded but hopeful.”

Last year, Kennedy laid off some 10,000 employees — including scientists, doctors, and researchers — across the department. The department’s employees were almost 20% Black, though Black Americans make up roughly 14% of the U.S. population. Kennedy also reduced the number of agencies under the department from 28 to 15.

These cuts eliminated experts who guide the U.S. in decisions about vaccine approval and new medical treatments. In addition to Washington, D.C., the layoffs affected Atlanta, where the CDC is headquartered.

On Wednesday, Schwartz acknowledged those challenges during her testimony and said rebuilding morale and restoring confidence in the agency would be among her top priorities.

What has Schwartz said about vaccines and science?

Senators on Wednesday didn’t seem fully convinced that Schwartz could avoid the fate that befell her predecessors when it comes to pressure from the administration. They pointed to Susan Monarez, who was fired after she challenged Kennedy’s vaccine agenda.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont noted that a CDC webpage updated last year suggests that there’s a link between autism and vaccines, though studies find that there’s no link. While Schwartz acknowledged that there’s “overwhelming evidence” supporting the lack of a connection, she didn’t say that she would remove or update the page.

“I have been in situations where I have had to go to my superiors in the military to have conversations — very difficult conversations — about things that may have been concerning to the troops or to the military personnel, and I will do the same with [Kennedy],” she said.

How qualified is the CDC nominee?

The retired general is also a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She previously served as chief medical officer of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Schwartz currently works for UnitedHealth Group and makes $850,000 annually, according to the Associated Press. She’s on several boards: Butterfly Network Inc., a Massachusetts company that makes ultrasound devices; Atlanta-based Aveanna Healthcare, a medical home care provider; and Florida-based Searching for Solutions Institute.

She said that she would resign if she were confirmed.

The physician has a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a medical degree from Brown University.  She holds a master’s degree in public health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, as well as a law degree from the University of Maryland.

Schwartz was commissioned by the Navy in 1994, and she served as a Navy Occupational Medicine physician with postings including chief of the Occupational Medicine Clinic and the Immunization Clinic and head of the preventive medicine department at the Naval Medical Clinic in Annapolis, according to her U.S. Department of Homeland Security profile.

“I will continue to live and lead by my integrity,” Schwartz said Wednesday. “If I’m confirmed as the CDC director, the nation’s health and well-being will take primacy, and I will never compromise on that.”

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