Dr. Nicole Saphier is appearing before the Senate on September 16, 2026, for a confirmation hearing on her nomination to become the next U.S. Surgeon General.
President Donald Trump nominated Saphier for the position, making her his third nominee for Surgeon General during his current term.
The position, often described as the nation’s doctor, involves communicating scientific and medical information to the public and providing guidance on ways to improve public health.
The hearing comes after the United States has gone without a confirmed Surgeon General since January 2025.
Who Is Nicole Saphier?
Saphier is a radiologist and serves as director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth in New Jersey.
She earned her medical degree from a Caribbean university and has also worked in public-facing health and wellness media.
Saphier was previously a contributor to Fox News Channel and has built a substantial following through podcasts and social media.
NPR has noted that she does not have a traditional public-health background.
She published the book “Make America Healthy Again” in 2020, several years before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the 2024 Trump campaign popularized the “MAHA” slogan.
Kennedy praised Saphier’s nomination in April 2026, calling her a “long-time warrior for the MAHA movement.”
Saphier’s Social Media and Wellness Profile
Saphier also presents herself as a health and wellness influencer.
Her podcast and social-media accounts have attracted hundreds of thousands of followers. In September 2026, CNN reported that she had approximately 360,000 followers on X and around 147,000 on Instagram.
Both platforms’ bios describe her as a “full time wife, mom and doctor.”
Her Instagram bio also identifies her as the creator of Drop Rx, a brand selling liquid herbal supplements.
Drop Rx says its products are designed around areas including focus, calm, balance and overall wellness. The company’s website describes the products as being inspired by traditional herbal knowledge and modern scientific insight.
The site also carries an FDA disclaimer stating that its claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and that the products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
CNN reported that several Drop Rx products were unavailable online at the time, while some products were listed at $24.99 for two fluid ounces.
More Americans Are Getting Health Information From Influencers
Saphier’s nomination comes as social media and podcasts have become increasingly important sources of health information for Americans.
A 2026 Pew Research Center report found that roughly four in 10 U.S. adults get health and wellness information from social-media influencers and podcasts.
Among adults under 50, the figure was about half.
Pew analyzed thousands of influencer profiles and found that fewer than half identified themselves as some type of health professional.
The study also found that about one in eight influencers described personal experience as a primary part of their background, while roughly one in six provided no information about their background or expertise in their social-media bios.
The findings reflect a broader shift in how Americans encounter health information, with influencers, creators and other online personalities increasingly appearing alongside traditional medical professionals.
How Much Do Americans Trust Health Influencers?
The growing reach of health influencers does not necessarily translate into broad public trust.
Pew found that only about 10% of U.S. adults say they trust all or most of the health information they receive from influencers.
About one-quarter said they trust little or none of it.
Pew researcher Galen Stocking said most people fall somewhere between complete trust and complete distrust, with audiences accepting some information while maintaining a degree of skepticism.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Amanda Yarnell has also warned that anecdotal health information found online can be generalized even though an individual’s experience does not necessarily apply to everyone.
Yarnell said some successful creators combine personal experience with other forms of expertise.
Harvard’s Center for Health Communication launched a program in 2023 that works with creators, with the goal of using social media to counter health misinformation and spread evidence-based science.
Dr. Anne Cappola of the Penn Medical Communication Research Institute has also pointed to the financial incentives that can exist in social-media influencing.
She has said those financial interests are not always transparent to people consuming the information.
Yarnell has identified authority, benevolence and integrity as three important pillars of trust.
How the Surgeon General Role Differs From Being an Influencer
Former Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, who served during Trump’s first administration, has emphasized that an influencer and the nation’s Surgeon General have different responsibilities.
Adams has described an influencer’s role as building a brand and audience, while the Surgeon General has to speak for the country as a whole rather than primarily to a personal following.
The Surgeon General also leads the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
For Adams, the central responsibility is following the evidence, including when doing so may be politically inconvenient.
He has said influence can be a useful tool, but it is not the actual job of the Surgeon General.
Adams has not questioned Saphier’s ability to communicate with audiences. His concern has instead centered on whether she would be able to speak openly about public-health problems under the administration in which she would serve.
He specifically cited vaccine-preventable diseases as an area where an independent voice could matter.
Adams has also said Saphier could have an opportunity to reach people who have stopped listening to traditional public-health institutions.
That opportunity, he said, would require a clear and independent voice.
Saphier’s Vaccine and Health Policy Views
Vaccines are expected to be an important issue during Saphier’s Senate hearing.
She has previously criticized COVID-19 vaccine booster requirements and questioned whether every child needs to receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
Those positions could draw attention from Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician specializing in liver disease who chairs the Senate health committee.
At the same time, Saphier has defended vaccines in discussions surrounding claims about autism.
In an opinion article, she criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s approach to autism research and questioned his decision to appoint David Geier to investigate possible reasons for rising autism diagnoses.
Saphier argued that lasting changes in autism diagnosis, treatment and potential prevention should be based on rigorous science, rather than controversy or conspiracy theories.
She also criticized one of Trump’s health recommendations in 2025. In comments to The Associated Press, Saphier described Trump’s suggestion that pregnant women avoid Tylenol because of autism concerns as oversimplistic and “patronizing.”
Saphier Previously Disagreed With Some Trump Administration Health Policies
Before receiving the nomination, Saphier publicly disagreed with some health policies associated with Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
CNN reported that Saphier deleted a number of older social-media posts within days of her nomination.
The deleted posts included views on vaccines and autism that differed from positions associated with parts of the administration.
She subsequently made her X profile private.
CNN had previously reported on the deleted posts in May 2026.
The history could become relevant during Senate questioning as lawmakers examine Saphier’s views on vaccines, public health and the role she would play inside the administration.
Trump’s Previous Surgeon General Nominees
Saphier is the third person Trump has put forward for the position during his current term.
His first nominee was Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, whose nomination was ultimately dropped after questions were raised about her academic credentials.
Trump then nominated Dr. Casey Means, an author, Stanford medical graduate and wellness influencer.
Means faced a contentious Senate hearing in February 2026. Her first hearing had previously been canceled at the last minute because of labor.
After support for the nomination weakened and the committee did not vote on it, Trump withdrew Means’ nomination in April.
Saphier is now the administration’s third nominee for Surgeon General.
Other HHS Nominees Face Senate Review
The Senate committee is also considering two other Trump nominees for senior positions at the Department of Health and Human Services.
They are:
- Nicole Saphier — Surgeon General
- Chris Klomp — Deputy Secretary of HHS
- Dr. Timothy Westlake — Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use
Klomp previously served as Medicare director, beginning that role in April 2025.
In February 2026, Kennedy appointed him as his “chief counselor.” If confirmed as deputy secretary, Klomp would become Kennedy’s second-in-command at HHS.
Westlake is a Wisconsin-based emergency medicine physician and currently serves as chief of staff at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
NPR has reported that SAMHSA experienced significant staff reductions during Kennedy’s tenure.
Kennedy’s restructuring plan had proposed eliminating SAMHSA, but legal challenges subsequently put that plan on hold.
Health Policy Issues Likely to Feature in the Hearings
The Senate’s questioning of the HHS nominees has covered issues including vaccines, measles, abortion medication, drug prices and Medicaid fraud.
Klomp faced questions about drug pricing and Medicaid fraud during a Finance Committee hearing.
Democratic senators also questioned HHS officials about the government’s response to ongoing measles outbreaks.
Klomp expressed support for children receiving the MMR vaccine to prevent measles.
NPR noted the position in the context of questions surrounding Kennedy and Trump and their previous comments about MMR vaccine effectiveness and safety.
For Saphier, the hearing provides senators with an opportunity to question her medical background, public-health experience, vaccine positions, social-media history and approach to communicating health information to the broader American public.
The confirmation process will determine whether she becomes the next Surgeon General after the position has remained without a confirmed officeholder since January 2025.
