Over the course of a year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen a traumatic shooting, abrupt leadership changes and a shattering of its image as a globally respected public health agency.
So by the time the Trump administration started looking for a new director, there was one requirement that topped the search criteria.
"We just need someone who's not crazy," a White House official told CNN amid the lengthy hunt for a nominee that finally culminated with Trump tapping Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general and retired US Coast Guard officer, for the job in April.
On Wednesday, Schwartz — President Donald Trump's third pick to lead the CDC — appears before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to face confirmation. She testifies alongside Sean Kaufman, the president's nominee for ****** istant Secretary of Preparedness and Response.
Schwartz's selection was aimed at bringing stability to the agency after near-constant upheaval that has decimated morale and deeply shaken Americans' faith in the administration's health agenda, senior health officials and others familiar with the matter told CNN at the time.