The CDC has a new director – now comes the hard part

By Syra S. Madad, Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Nahid Bhadelia, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, Boston University

The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Erica Schwartz, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Aug. 5, 2026, is only the second CDC director to face Senate confirmation. Congress adopted the process for the agency after the COVID-19 pandemic to bring more scrutiny to one of the country’s most consequential public health jobs, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.…

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