When President Trump named a new leadership team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention two weeks ago, public attention focused on Dr. Erica Schwartz, his nominee to be the agency’s director. Her public support of vaccines was interpreted by some as a sign that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s quest to limit childhood immunizations might be coming to an end.
But another senior official Mr. Trump named to the team shares many of Mr. Kennedy’s views, suggesting the potential for continuing tension at the public health agency.
Mr. Trump appointed Dr. Sara Brenner, a deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration and a self-described “MAHA mom,” to be Mr. Kennedy’s senior counselor for public health, a post that, unlike the C.D.C. director, does not require Senate confirmation. A look at Dr. Brenner’s background suggests she is aligned with Mr. Kennedy on some of his signature issues, including skepticism about vaccines and a strong belief in the importance of fitness.
