The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told staffers this week that she has three initial priorities, the CDC said on Aug. 20.
Those priorities are “earning trust through transparency and scientific rigor, strengthening CDC’s ability to detect and respond to health threats, and deepening partnerships with states and communities,” the CDC said.
CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz said the CDC must listen to all Americans to understand their needs and build public trust, and that she supports the CDC’s workforce and wants to make sure the agency is ready to protect Americans from health threats, according to the agency.
“Together, we can protect what is strongest about CDC, improve what must be improved, and prepare this extraordinary institution for whatever comes our way,” Schwartz was quoted as saying. “That is a mission worthy of our very best.”
She also said she would “never compromise on the science” and that she supported vaccines. It was not clear whether she touched on recent vaccine moves by the Trump administration, including the president’s executive order calling to split up the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, during recent conversations with CDC staffers. The CDC did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for audio recordings or transcripts from the conversations.
Senate confirmation was previously not required for CDC directors. Under a new law that came into effect in 2025, directors need confirmation from the Senate.
The first Senate-confirmed director was Susan Monarez. Trump fired her after about a month in office due to disagreements she had with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over how to handle advice from a group of CDC vaccine advisers he selected.
Schwartz has said that, if necessary, she would be ready to have “very difficult conversations” with Kennedy. The health secretary has said he helped pick Schwartz and vetted her position on vaccines.
“I look forward to working together to restore trust, accountability, and scientific integrity at the CDC so we can return it to its core mission and Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy said on X after Schwartz’s nomination.