Schwartz confirmed as CDC director after bungling confirmation hearing
Schwartz is well-qualified for the role, but crashed and burned in Senate hearing.
Schwartz is well-qualified for the role, but crashed and burned in Senate hearing.
The short version
- In a 51–44 vote Wednesday, the US Senate confirmed Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, despite failing miserably to convince senators last month that she could stand up to anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F.
- The confirmation ends a near yearlong vacancy for the position since Kennedy fired the previous CDC director, Susan Monarez, last August.
- Monarez was ousted after she refused to rubber-stamp vaccine recommendations from a panel of Kennedy’s hand-selected advisors, who hold similar anti-vaccine views to his own.
What happened
Schwartz is highly qualified for the role, coming to the CDC with a medical degree, a master’s degree in public health, and a law degree. She previously had a long stint as a Navy officer and held leadership roles including chief medical officer for the US Coast Guard and deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration.
Why it matters
Notably, she has been a public advocate for vaccines and outbreak preparedness.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.