Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump’s pick for surgeon general, Casey Means, was forced to postpone her Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday morning after going into labour, according to a spokesperson for the Senate Health Committee.
The 38-year-old Stanford-trained doctor and wellness entrepreneur was scheduled to appear virtually before lawmakers to discuss her nomination. As per report by Associated Press, it remains unclear when the hearing will be rescheduled.
Means, a prominent figure in the wellness industry, has drawn both attention and controversy for her unconventional path. Once a surgical resident at Oregon Health and Science University, she left medicine in 2018, citing frustration with what she described as a “broken” healthcare system. She went on to co-found Levels, a popular health-tracking app, and built a large following promoting nutrition and lifestyle-based approaches to health.
If confirmed, Means would become the public face of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, spearheaded by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The programme emphasises tackling chronic disease through dietary reform, reducing processed food consumption, and increasing scrutiny of additives, pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
Critics, however have raised concerns about her lack of government experience and potential conflicts of interest. Financial disclosures show that Means earned hundreds of thousands of dollars through product endorsements and partnerships with wellness brands — at times without clear disclosure, according to an Associated Press investigation.
In an ethics filing, Means pledged to resign from her positions at Levels and Rupa Health if confirmed, divest related stock holdings, and refrain from promoting her bestselling book Good Energy. She also vowed to avoid any financial interests in entities listed by the Food and Drug Administration as prohibited.
As surgeon general, Means would oversee roughly 6,000 members of the US Public Health Service Corps and have the authority to issue national advisories on major health issues. Her agenda is expected to align closely with Kennedy’s push for stricter food and chemical safety standards and expanded access to preventive care.
