The Florida physician has been a critic of the CDC and its vaccine program.
Former congressman Dr. Dave Weldon is President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In his announcement Nov. 22, Trump described the Florida physician as “a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues” who would “prioritize transparency, competence, and high standards at [the] CDC.”
“Americans have lost trust in the CDC and in our federal health authorities, who have engaged in censorship, data manipulation, and misinformation,” Trump said. “Given the current chronic health crisis in our country, the CDC must step up and correct past errors to focus on the prevention of disease.”
The nomination was made months after Weldon lost his primary bid for a seat in the Florida House.
Here are five things to know about the former congressman.
A Veteran Physician
Weldon, 71, is initially from Amityville, New York. He earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1981 and then joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps, where he served for six years.
While in the Army Reserves, Weldon began practicing as a physician in Florida. He continues practicing medicine today as a board-certified internist.
Weldon also serves as a clinical professor of biomedical engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology and as the chief medical officer for Luke & Associates, a health care staffing agency contracted with the Department of Defense.
Weldon has served as president of the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries, a trade group for the health sharing programs, a health insurance alternative.
He has been married to his wife, Nancy, since 1979, and the couple has two grown children.
Congressional Career
Weldon won his first bid for the U.S. House in 1994, flipping Florida’s 15th District from blue to red.
While in Congress, Weldon served on various committees, including the Labor/Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee.
