US President Donald Trump has nominated Dr Nicole Saphier as the next Surgeon General, replacing his earlier pick Casey Means, whose nomination faced resistance in the Senate.
The decision was announced on April 30, with Trump describing Saphier as “a STAR physician” with strong experience in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Saphier is an American radiologist, author and public health commentator known for her work in breast imaging. She currently serves as director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Monmouth facility in New Jersey and is also an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Born in 1982 in Arizona, she completed her medical degree at Ross University School of Medicine, followed by radiology training
at Maricopa Integrated Health Systems and a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic.
She has also been a prominent media figure.
From 2018 to 2026, Saphier worked as a medical contributor for Fox News, frequently appearing during the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health debates. She has hosted the podcast Wellness Unmasked and authored several books, including Make America Healthy Again and Panic Attack: Playing Politics with Science in the Fight Against COVID-19.
While nominated by Trump, Saphier has not always fully aligned with his views.
She has previously criticised both the Trump and Biden administrations for what she described as the “politicization of science” during the pandemic. In 2022, she called for an end to mask and vaccine mandates, while continuing to support vaccination more broadly.
More recently, she pushed back against Trump’s comments advising pregnant women to avoid Tylenol, stating: “For decades, women have endured a paternalistic tone in medicine… Advising moderation was sound; delivering it in a patronizing, simplistic way was not.”
Saphier is also linked to the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, which focuses on food safety, chronic disease prevention and scepticism toward parts of the public health establishment.
Her nomination follows the withdrawal of Casey Means, whose candidacy faced criticism over qualifications, including an incomplete surgical residency and controversial vaccine-related comments.
Saphier’s appointment is seen by some Republicans as a more conventional choice, though her views on pandemic policies and public health issues are expected to be examined during US Senate confirmation hearings.
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