Dr. Casey Means, a physician-turned-wellness influencer, is U.S. President Donald Trump’s new surgeon general candidate after he withdrew his initial pick for the influential health post, per Associated Press (AP). 

In a social media post, Trump says that Means possesses “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials” – referring to the “Make America Healthy Again” slogan – and will work to address chronic disease and improve Americans’ well-being.

The nomination withdrawal of former Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat marks at least the second health-related Trump pick pulled from Senate consideration. Nesheiwat had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on May 8 for her confirmation hearing.

Kennedy Connection and Medical Background

According to The New York Times, Means and her brother, former lobbyist Calley Means, served as key advisers to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2024 presidential campaign and helped broker his Trump endorsement last summer. Calley Means currently serves as a White House adviser promoting MAHA agenda items.

Dr. Means trained as an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon at Stanford University but left her surgical residency program without completing it. 

She founded health tech company Levels, which offers subscribers wearable glucose monitors, and authored “Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health.” She practices functional medicine, focusing on addressing root causes of disease.

Health Policy Positions

In interviews and writings, Means described multiple factors contributing to America’s health problems, including food conglomerates and pharmaceutical industries. She linked dietary and lifestyle changes to conditions including infertility, Alzheimer’s, depression, and erectile dysfunction.

“Almost every chronic health symptom that Western medicine addresses is the result of our cells being beleaguered by how we’ve come to live,” Means wrote in a 2024 book co-authored with her brother.

Means supports investigating chemicals in American food, warning labels on ultra-processed foods, curtailing pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising, and reducing industry influence among regulators. She has also called for more investigation into vaccine safety and recommends making it easier for patients to sue drugmakers over vaccine injuries.

If confirmed as surgeon general, Means would help promote Kennedy’s MAHA agenda, which includes removing additives from U.S. foods, addressing conflicts of interest at federal agencies, and incentivizing healthier foods in nutrition programs.