Trump's surgeon general pick to appear before Senate in highly anticipated hearing

[ad_1] Dr. Casey Means will seem earlier than the Senate on Wednesday in a long-awaited listening to to debate her extremely scrutinized nomination for surgeon common.

Means, a well-liked wellness influencer, was a marketing campaign adviser throughout Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential bid and an architect of his “Make America Wholesome Once more” agenda. Her brother, Calley Means, is a Kennedy ally and senior adviser to the Well being and Human Providers Division.

If confirmed to the position, Means can be an outlier amongst surgeons common: She doesn't maintain an energetic medical license (her license lapsed in January 2024) and she or he didn't full her medical residency (she graduated from Stanford College Faculty of Drugs however left a surgical residency program at Oregon Well being and Science College in 2018, simply months earlier than she was attributable to full it).

In consequence, many medical professionals have questioned whether or not Means is certified to grow to be America’s high physician with the authority to situation well being warnings and advisories for your complete nation.

Means didn't reply to a request for remark forward of the listening to. Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for HHS, stated that Means’ “credentials, analysis background, and expertise in public life give her the appropriate insights to be the surgeon common who helps ensure America by no means once more turns into the sickest nation on Earth.”

President Donald Trump nominated Means for surgeon common in Could on Kennedy’s advice after withdrawing his earlier selection, former Fox Information medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat.

Means’ affirmation listening to — beforehand scheduled for October — was postponed after she went into labor along with her first youngster. Her nomination subsequently expired, so Trump nominated her once more Jan. 13.

In her new position, she would additionally oversee the Public Well being Service Commissioned Corps, a federal department whose officers embody physicians, nurses, scientists and engineers. The department requires its officers to keep up energetic licenses of their respective fields.

Means may face powerful questions Wednesday from Democratic members of the Senate Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions Committee about her alignment with Kennedy, a long-time anti-vaccine activist who's now the secretary of well being and human companies.

The affirmation listening to comes amid mounting scrutiny of Kennedy’s management from Democrats and a few Republican lawmakers. In his first yr in workplace, Kennedy has fired high well being officers, overhauled the childhood vaccine schedule, downplayed the position of vaccinations throughout an unprecedented measles outbreak and slashed funding for vital analysis areas like mRNA pictures.

Like Kennedy, Means has gained recognition in wellness circles due to her messages about outsized company affect within the meals and pharmaceutical industries. She has usually expressed skepticism of conventional medication, writing on her web site that hormonal contraception has “horrifying well being dangers” and that the “whole burden” of the vaccine schedule — earlier than Kennedy overhauled it — is “inflicting well being declines in susceptible youngsters.” (Neither declare is substantiated by scientific proof. Routine childhood pictures are backed by a long time of security information, and critical issues from hormonal contraception are uncommon.)

Previous to her nomination, Means offered dietary dietary supplements, teas and different wellness merchandise on social media — a topic that has generated concern about potential conflicts of curiosity. A overview from Public Citizen, a client advocacy group, decided that Means didn't constantly disclose that she may revenue or profit from the sale of sure merchandise.

The group has additionally raised questions on whether or not Means stands to revenue from Kennedy’s endorsement of wearable units, since she co-founded Ranges, an organization that helps individuals monitor their blood glucose by way of a wearable monitor and app.

Means signed an ethics settlement in September stating that she would resign from her advisory place at Ranges and cease placing up monetized social media posts. She additionally agreed to cease producing her publication and selling a 2024 e book she co-wrote, “Good Vitality.”

The e book argues that folks can “enhance and lengthen their lives” by “easy ideas docs aren’t taught in medical faculty” — specifically consuming more healthy, getting extra sleep and bodily exercise, and understanding one’s underlying illness danger.