President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Nicole Saphier as the next U.S. Surgeon General on Thursday, calling her a “STAR physician” in a Truth Social post.
Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor, serves as director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
She is Trump’s third pick for the role after his two previous nominees failed to win Senate confirmation.
Who Is Saphier?
Beyond her clinical work, Saphier hosts the “Wellness Unmasked” podcast, where she engages in “unfiltered conversations” about wellness and provides evidence-based insight on healthy living, according to the show’s description.
She has been a vocal supporter of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and in 2020 published a book of the same name, covering cancer, the opioid crisis and healthcare costs. In it, she criticized the government’s COVID-19 response and the Affordable Care Act, arguing personal responsibility must be central to any health policy.
She has also occasionally criticized aspects of the MAHA movement and public health messaging under the Trump administration, reflecting a more mixed stance on health policy debates.
Third Time Around
Saphier replaces Dr. Casey Means, whose nomination collapsed earlier this year. Means had initially refused to directly recommend the measles vaccine during a Senate hearing, before reversing course in written remarks to the committee. She was ultimately blocked by Republicans Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), alongside Senate Democrats. Trump publicly called Cassidy “a very disloyal person” and has since endorsed a primary challenger against him.
What Comes Next
The nomination comes after months of turbulence around the role. Separately, the CDC has operated without a permanent director since August, following the ouster of Susan Monarez, with the Trump administration separately eyeing Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general, as its next permanent CDC director.
Saphier’s nomination will be reviewed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Disclaimer: This content was produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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