First Black woman takes helm of CDC

First Black woman takes helm of CDC

A highly credentialed Black woman has made history at an agency in turmoil — and the central question is whether she will have the independence to lead it. The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency mandated to protect Americans’ health from preventable threats. She’s the first Black woman to head the agency, and fills a critical public health position. Schwartz …

Erica Schwartz: “I will never compromise on the science”

After nearly a year of institutional musical chairs, the US “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” (CDC) finally has a permanent director. On 5 August, the Senate confirmed Erica Schwartz by 51 votes to 44. On paper, Schwartz seems like an unusually serious choice for an administration that has made public health look increasingly like