Retired Rear Admiral Erica G. Schwartz, who was honored with the 2019 BEYA Stars and Stripes award, has long contributed expertise in preventive medicine, public health, law, and biomedical engineering.
Her dedication to national health security has been evident, highlighting her pivotal role among federal agency leaders.
These agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases, the National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the VA Maryland Health Care System.
As Deputy Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Erica G. Schwartz provided key leadership by advising and supporting the Surgeon General on U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps operations. Her commitment to communicating scientific information advanced national health and set a standard for excellence among her peers. As Director of Health, Safety, and Work-Life, RADM Schwartz oversaw the Coast Guard’s health care system, including 42 clinics and 150 sick bays, and led its environmental health and safety program, implementing significant improvements.
Her knowledge in preventive medicine, public health, law, and biomedical engineering directed the conversations.
A retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, she served as Deputy Surgeon General from January 2019 to April 2021. Previously, she held key positions with the U.S. Coast Guard, including Chief Medical Officer from 2015 to 2019, and earlier as Chief of Health Services and Chief of Preventive Medicine at Coast Guard Headquarters. In these roles, she became the principal expert on flu pandemics and led critical initiatives.
On April 16, 2026, President Donald Trump nominated Schwartz to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Schwartz's father was a career Navy master chief petty officer stationed in San Diego, and three of her siblings also served in the military. She enrolled in Brown University's eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education, earning a degree in biomedical engineering with a minor in East Asian studies in 1994 and an M.D. in 1998. She was commissioned by the Navy in 1994.
She earned a Master of Public Health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2000 and completed a residency in occupational and environmental medicine there in 2001. Schwartz also holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland and is admitted to the District of Columbia Bar.
She has served as the Head of the Preventive Medicine Department, Naval Medical Clinic, and as the Head of the Occupational Medicine Clinic and the Immunization Clinic. Schwartz also served at the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center. In 2005, she transferred from the Navy to the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She served as Chief of Preventive Medicine from 2005 to 2013 and Chief of Health Services from 2013 to 2015 at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC.
She was appointed as the Coast Guard's principal expert on flu pandemics. Schwartz received the Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, both the Coast Guard and Navy Commendation Medals, and was recognized in 2011 as one of the Military Health System's female physicians of the year.
Schwartz was promoted to rear admiral in the PHS Commissioned Corps and became the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Medical Officer on August 17, 2015. She provided medical oversight and established herself as a transformative leader.
As Director of Health, Safety, and Work-Life, she managed 42 clinics and 150 sick bays, setting high standards for care and efficiency. Her vision included comprehensive oversight of the Coast Guard's environmental health and safety program, prioritizing risk management and accident prevention. Schwartz’s leadership in work-life programs, such as child care, substance abuse prevention, suicide prevention, and employee assistance, had a lasting impact on Coast Guard personnel and their families.
In 2018, Schwartz testified before the House Transportation Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation about the need for the service to transition to an electronic health record system, consistent with those of the other U.S. Armed Forces.
She explained that the current paper-based system did not allow efficient transfer of records from the Coast Guard to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Schwartz was appointed Deputy Surgeon General on January 1, 2019, reinforcing her status as a leader in American public health. In this role, she served as the Department of Health and Human Services' lead during the presidential transition from Trump to Biden, ensuring continuity and stability.
Although not selected as Acting Surgeon General, she concluded 27 years of uniformed service marked by integrity and vision.
After her government service, Schwartz joined the board of directors of Aveanna Healthcare and Butterfly Network, continuing to impact public health beyond federal service.
On April 16, 2026, in recognition of her exemplary service and leadership, President Donald Trump nominated Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, positioning her to lead one of the nation’s most critical public health agencies.