Trump's health appointments spark controversy and change

Photographer: Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg

In late November, President-elect Donald Trump filled his three top health positions for his second administration: Johns Hopkins University surgeon Marty Makary was Trump’s choice for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner; Dave Weldon, former member of the US House of Representatives, was tapped as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a Fox News contributor and one of five New York City medical directors for CityMD, a chain of urgent care centers across the region, was named the next surgeon general.

Immediately, the new appointees were met with a rash of strong reactions from assorted media outlets. Personal feelings aside, it is undeniable that Trump’s selections, if ultimately confirmed by the Senate, will usher in a sea change in the health care field, likely for the balance of the decade, if not well beyond. In the spirit of learning more about their respective backgrounds, what follows is a series of brief vignettes of America’s new health care leaders.