President-Elect Trump Names His Picks to Head the CDC and FDA

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 26, 2024.

By Physician’s Briefing Staff HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2024 -- President-elect Donald Trump has announced his picks for key health positions in his new cabinet.

To run the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trump has turned to David Weldon, M.D., a long-time internist who interrupted his medical career to represent a Florida district for seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before returning to medical practice.

According to The New York Times, some of Weldon's opinions have been controversial, including endorsing the notion that thimerosal, a preservative used in some vaccines, is a cause of autism in children. That theory has long been discredited by science. In 2007, Weldon also sponsored a failed bill in Congress, which called for vaccine safety research to be conducted by a separate agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump has turned to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine pancreatic surgeon Martin Makary, M.D., to run the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to The Times, Makary is, on the whole, supportive of childhood vaccines, although he has voiced concern about certain shots, such as the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns and the need for a third COVID-19 booster for healthy children. He has also been a vocal critic of vaccine mandates, claiming instead that doctors underestimate the power of natural immunity in warding off disease.

Trump's pick to be the new surgeon general is Janette Nesheiwat, M.D. She is medical director of CityMD, a chain of urgent care centers, and a frequent Fox News contributor, according to The Times. She is on record as being generally supportive of COVID-19 vaccines, once telling Fox News that they were a "gift from God." But she has also voiced opposition to vaccine mandates.

Nesheiwat also sells her own line of vitamins and is the author of a forthcoming book, Beyond the Stethoscope: Miracles in Medicine, which the publisher notes discusses the "transformative power of prayer." She is also politically well connected: Her sister Julia Nesheiwat was homeland security adviser in the first Trump administration and is the wife of U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, the Florida Republican who is Trump's pick for national security adviser.

The New York Times Article

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2024-11-27 00:00

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords