Casey Means Surgeon General Nomination Withdrawn; Saphier Named

President Donald Trump withdrew the Surgeon General nomination of Dr. Casey Means on April 30, 2026 and announced Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering, as his replacement nominee. The withdrawal ended a confirmation process that had been stalled in the Senate for several months, primarily over questions raised by Senator Bill Cassidy about Means’s clinical credentials and her positions on vaccines.

Means, a Stanford-trained physician and Truemed co-founder, did not finish her surgical residency program and does not currently hold an active medical license. The lapsed license was the most-cited concern among Senate Republicans during her February 25, 2026 Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing. Means defended her record as a public communicator on chronic disease and metabolic health and said her vision for the Surgeon General role was to focus on root causes of illness rather than reactive care.

Saphier, who holds an active medical license and a doctor of medicine degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados with fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic, has been a frequent Fox News medical contributor. The Saphier nomination is the third Surgeon General candidate of the Trump second-term cycle.

The Surgeon General role remains vacant in an acting capacity. Means’s brother, Calley Means, continues to serve as senior advisor to Secretary Kennedy at HHS on food and nutrition policy.