WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dr. Nicole Saphier is President Trump's nominee for surgeon general. Chris Klomp is President Trump's nominee for deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Timothy Westlake is President Trump's nominee for assistant secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use.

Saphier is a radiologist and the director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth in New Jersey. She holds a medical degree from a university in the Caribbean and was a contributor Channel. In 2020, she authored the book “Make America Healthy Again.”

Saphier has criticized COVID-19 vaccine booster requirements and questioned whether every child needs to receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. She defended vaccines in the context of the link between vaccines and autism, which she described as debunked. In an op-ed, she criticized Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to hire David Geier to investigate the root cause of rising autism diagnoses.

Saphier wrote that if lasting change in how autism is diagnosed, treated, and perhaps prevented is desired, it must be built on a foundation of rigorous science, not controversy and conspiracy theories. She that President Trump's suggestion that pregnant women should avoid Tylenol due to autism risk was oversimplistic and patronizing.

Klomp has served as the director of the Center for Medicare since April 2025. He was elevated to the role of chief counselor to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in February 2026. Klomp testified before the Senate Finance Committee on September 15, 2026. During his testimony, he expressed support for children receiving the MMR vaccine to help stop the spread of measles.

Westlake is an emergency medicine physician based in Wisconsin. He currently serves as chief of staff at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The agency has undergone staff reductions since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became Health Secretary. Kennedy proposed a restructuring plan for the agency that would have eliminated it, but legal challenges have paused the implementation of the plan.

Senator Bill Cassidy is a liver doctor and the chair of the Senate Committee on Health. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has served as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services since February 13, 2025. Kennedy praised Saphier's nomination on social media in April, calling her "a long-time warrior for the MAHA movement." Dr. Jerome Adams served as surgeon general during the first Trump administration. Adams stated in May that he expects Saphier to be confirmed.

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat was President Trump's first nominee for surgeon general. Trump withdrew her nomination after questions were raised about her academic credentials. Dr. Casey Means was Trump's second nominee.

Her first confirmation hearing was canceled because she went into labor. The Senate Committee on Health held a confirmation hearing for Means in February 2026 but did not vote on her nomination.

Why It Matters

The confirmation hearing addresses a vacancy in the office of surgeon general that has persisted since January 2025. The process involves nominees for key leadership roles within the Department of Health and Human Services, including positions related to mental health, substance use, and overall departmental management. The outcomes of these confirmations will determine who leads public health initiatives and manages federal health programs under the current administration.

The nominations occur within a context of prior unsuccessful attempts to fill the surgeon general role and ongoing legal and administrative changes within specific health agencies. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration faces proposed restructuring and staff reductions, while previous nominees for surgeon general encountered procedural hurdles or credential issues. The committee's actions will resolve these pending appointments and establish the leadership structure for the department's public health operations.

Timeline

Dr. Saphier authored the book “Make America Healthy Again,” which was published in 2020. The United States has not had a confirmed surgeon general since January 2025. Chris Klomp has served as the director of the Center for Medicare since April 2025.

Chris Klomp was elevated to the role of chief counselor to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in February 2026. The Senate Committee on Health held a confirmation hearing for Dr. Casey Means in February 2026. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised Dr. Saphier's nomination on social media in April, calling her a long-time warrior for the MAHA movement. Dr. Jerome Adams stated in May that he expects Dr. Saphier to be confirmed.

What's New

The hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, 2026, by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Research titled “Testimony Before the Senate Armed Services Committee (1948)” was published in 2009 in African American Studies Center.