Dr. Jennifer Shuford, head of Texas's public health agency, has been tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other appointments include Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, Sean Slovenski as CDC deputy director and chief operating officer, and Dr. Sara Brenner as senior counselor for public health to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The U.K. Senate must approve Schwartz's nomination before she can step in. National public health watchers are optimistic about the agency's future with these nominees, citing their scientific backgrounds and no apparent ties to anti-vaccine movements. Shufford was an infectious disease physician before joining the DSHS in 2017 and served as the chief state epidemiologist at the health department.