In May, President Donald Trump nominated Casey Means, MD, for the position of surgeon general, replacing his former nominee, Janette Nesheiwat, MD.
Dr. Means’ confirmation hearing, originally scheduled for Oct. 30, has been postponed, as Dr. Means went into labor, ABC News reported Oct. 31.
According to ABC, Dr. Means was expected to face “stiff questioning” from Democrats on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions about her connections to a wellness company she co-founded and her promotion of supplements online and on podcasts.
Here are five other things to know about Dr. Means and her nomination:
1. Dr. Means is an entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author, according to her website. She received her bachelor’s degree and doctor of medicine degree from Stanford (Calif.) University and Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford University School of Medicine, respectively.
2. ABC‘s report said Dr. Means left her residency program in Oregon in 2018 because she was “disillusioned with the practice and incentives of surgical care.”
3. She also promised in ethics filings to resign from her company, Level Health, and to stop promoting wellness products while serving as surgeon general.
4. In a letter addressed to Dr. Means and obtained by ABC, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote: “Even after your divestiture, your recent financial ties to various wellness companies may reasonably lead the public to question whether you are distorting health advice from the Office of the Surgeon General to benefit your former clients.” On Oct. 27, Dr. Means reacted “defensively” to questions about her potential conflict of interest during a meeting with staffers of the Democratic HELP Committee members, according to ABC.
5. “Casey has impeccable [Make America Health Again] credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our agenda in order to reverse the chronic disease epidemic, and ensure great health, in the future, for all Americans,” President Trump said in a May 7 Truth Social post.
