The U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, ending a leadership vacancy that lasted nearly a year. The vote was 51 to 44.

The CDC had been without a Senate-confirmed director since late August 2025, when former director Susan Monarez was ousted just 29 days into her tenure. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya had been serving as acting CDC director since February 2026.

Dr. Schwartz, a retired Navy rear admiral and former deputy surgeon general, brings extensive experience overseeing U.S. public health responses, including to Ebola and H1N1 outbreaks. She holds a bachelor's degree and an M.D. from Brown University, as well as a law degree from the University of Maryland.

Monarez testified that she was pushed out of the agency because she declined to follow vaccine recommendations from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which she said were not based on science. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine guidance has faced criticism amid ongoing public health debates.

Schwartz assumes leadership as the CDC confronts challenges including an Ebola outbreak in Africa and internal issues marked by layoffs, resignations, and a significant loss of employees.

Sources