Casey Means, President Donald Trump's pick for surgeon general, was forced to postpone her Senate confirmation hearing after she went into labor with her first child, a spokesman said.
Dr. Means, nominated to be the nation's “surgeon general,” had to appear before a Senate committee virtually because of her advanced pregnancy.
Unlike the former surgeons general, the 38-year-old Stanford-educated physician and health care entrepreneur does not have a current medical license. She is known for her skepticism towards traditional medicine and instead promotes health products.
It is unclear when the confirmation hearing will be rescheduled.
Dr. Means graduated from Stanford Medical School and completed most of her residency as a head and neck surgeon, but quit before finishing.
“I left the hospital and went on a journey to understand the real reasons why people get sick,” she wrote in her book about leaving residency.
One of the leaders of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which holds pharmaceutical and food companies corrupt and responsible for the rise of chronic diseases, she is known for her book Good Energy.
The book promotes natural food, exercise and lifestyle changes as the foundation of good health.
Dr. Means questioned some elements of the childhood vaccination schedule and suggested that Americans should not use prescription drugs to treat chronic diseases.
She also warns against long-term use of hormonal birth control.
She co-founded Levels, a company that helps people manage their blood glucose levels, and also sells other health products on social media, including tea and nutritional supplements.
Last month, she signed an ethics agreement in which she said she would step down as a consultant at Levels and stop publishing monetized posts on social media.
Her appointment drew bipartisan criticism, including from the former surgeon general.
Dr. Jerome Adams, who served under Trump during his first term, said he was concerned that Dr. Means did not have a medical license or completed residency training.
“We must recognize that our current healthcare system is broken and radical change is needed,” Dr. Adams wrote on social media. “However, no one would go to an unlicensed and undertrained doctor for surgery or a C-section.”
If confirmed, Dr. Means will lead the U.S. Public Health Service, which includes more than 6,000 employees across multiple federal agencies.
She will be responsible for issuing national health guidance and will report to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Dr. Means became the Trump administration's nominee after the White House withdrew its previous nominee, Fox News host Dr. Jeanette Nesheiwat.
