President-elect Donald Trump announced a line-up of medical doctors to fill three top health roles in his administration over the weekend.

Trump will nominate Florida Representative Dave Weldon to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Marty Makary for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, and Janette Nesheiwat for Surgeon General.

They could all play key roles in shaping how the government manages health care, medicines, food safety, and scientific research. If the Senate confirms these candidates, they will answer toSecretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a vaccine skepticwho plans to reform food and pharmaceutical regulation and prioritize preventive health.

Here’s a look at where the nominees stand on key health issues.

FDA Commissioner Nominee: Marty Makary

Trump tapped Martin Makary, MD, MPH, a Johns Hopkins University surgeon, to head up the FDA. The agency regulates prescription and over-the-counter drugs, cell and gene therapies, food, medical devices, tobacco, and cosmetics.

In a post on his social media site Truth Social, Trump said Makary would “course-correct and refocus” the agency. “I am confident that Dr. Makary, having dedicated his career to high-quality, lower-cost care will restore the FDA to the gold standard of scientific research and cut the bureaucratic red tape at the agency to make sure Americans get the medical cures and treatments they deserve,” he added.

Makary has been aprominent criticof the medical establishment for more than a decade. He has written several books and opinion articles, and he appears as a medical commentator on Fox News. In his latest book, Makary rails against the “hubris of the medical establishment.”

Makary is anexecutiveof telehealth company Sesame, which connects patients to physicians who can prescribe compounded weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound. If his nomination is confirmed, he will lead the FDA as itnavigates tensionsbetween drugmakers and compounding pharmacies over the supply and pricing of the blockbuster drugs.

Kennedy has said that if he is confirmed as HHS secretary, he will fire key FDA staff members and clamp down on the food and pharmaceutical industries. Makary echoes some of Kennedy’s viewpoints.

“We have poisoned our food supply, engineered highly addictive chemicals that we have put into our food,” Makary said duringa Senate roundtablein September. “Our healthcare system is playing whack-a-mole on the back end, and we are not talking about the root causes of our chronic disease epidemic.”

CDC Director Nominee: Dave Weldon

Trump nominated Dave Weldon, MD, to lead the CDC. Weldon is a physician and former congressman representing Florida.

The CDC is the nation’s top public health agency, tasked with tracking and responding to infectious diseases, collecting and analyzing public health data, creating vaccine guidelines, and overseeing public health emergencies.

Weldon has long been an outspoken critic of the CDC and its vaccine program. In 2007, he sponsored a bill proposing to take vaccine safety research out of the hands of the CDC, reducing the agency’s power.

He is a leading anti-vaccine activist. Weldon promoted the idea that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was once widely used in vaccines, caused autism cases around the world.

Years of research indicate that there is no credible link between thimerosal and autism and that misinformation linking the two has led to vaccine avoidance and unsafe treatment practices for children with autism.

The nomination comes at a time when the U.S. is seeing increased threat from H5N1 bird flu, whooping cough, and a spike in measles cases.

Surgeon General Nominee: Janette Nesheiwat

Trump selected Janette Nesheiwat, MD, a physician and Fox News contributor with ties to his previous administration, as his nominee for surgeon general.

Nesheiwat is a New York City medical director for CityMD, a chain of urgent care centers. Trump said she cared for patients after Hurricane Katrina and was on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic in New York City.

“She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives,” Trump said on Truth Social.

The Surgeon General is considered the “nation’s doctor.” They are responsible for leading thousands of public health officers and communicating key health information to the public. They can issue public health warnings, such as the warning labels attached to tobacco cigarettes and alcohol.

In contrast to other nominees for top health positions, Nesheiwat is an advocate for childhood vaccinations. In an opinion piece onFox Newsin 2021, she called the COVID vaccines a “gift from God.”

Nesheiwat contributes to Fox News and other outlets,wrote a bookabout her Christian journey in medicine, and sells vitamin B and C supplements.

What This Means For YouIt’s not yet clear exactly which changes Makary, Weldon, and Nesheiwat will make if they are confirmed. The Senate will vote to confirm the nominees for CDC, FDA, and Surgeon General over the next few months.

What This Means For You

It’s not yet clear exactly which changes Makary, Weldon, and Nesheiwat will make if they are confirmed. The Senate will vote to confirm the nominees for CDC, FDA, and Surgeon General over the next few months.

2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lenzer J.Vaccine preservative is not the cause of autism, say US officials.BMJ. 2005;331(7512):310. doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7512.310-aHurley AM, Tadrous M, Miller ES.Thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism: a review of recent epidemiologic studies.J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2010;15(3):173-81. doi:10.5863/1551-6776-15.3.173

2 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lenzer J.Vaccine preservative is not the cause of autism, say US officials.BMJ. 2005;331(7512):310. doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7512.310-aHurley AM, Tadrous M, Miller ES.Thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism: a review of recent epidemiologic studies.J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2010;15(3):173-81. doi:10.5863/1551-6776-15.3.173

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Lenzer J.Vaccine preservative is not the cause of autism, say US officials.BMJ. 2005;331(7512):310. doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7512.310-aHurley AM, Tadrous M, Miller ES.Thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism: a review of recent epidemiologic studies.J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2010;15(3):173-81. doi:10.5863/1551-6776-15.3.173

Lenzer J.Vaccine preservative is not the cause of autism, say US officials.BMJ. 2005;331(7512):310. doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7512.310-a

Hurley AM, Tadrous M, Miller ES.Thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism: a review of recent epidemiologic studies.J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2010;15(3):173-81. doi:10.5863/1551-6776-15.3.173

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