President-elect Donald Trump has selected Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a practicing physician and medical director at CityMD urgent care centers, to serve as the next U.S. Surgeon General.
Nesheiwat, 48, made regular appearances as a medical expert on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she gained prominence for her views on public health matters.
The nomination has brought renewed attention to a 1990 incident in Orlando, Florida when Nesheiwat, then 13, was involved in an accidental shooting that resulted in the death of her father, Ziad “Ben” Nesheiwat.
According to police reports, the incident occurred when she reached for scissors in a fishing tackle box stored above her father’s bed. A .380 caliber handgun fell from the box and discharged.
In her memoir, “Beyond The Stethoscope,” Nesheiwat wrote about witnessing her father’s death but did not include details about the incident. She credited the experience as her motivation to pursue medicine: “When I was 13 years old I helplessly watched my dear father dying from an accident as blood was spurting everywhere. I couldn’t save his life. This was the start of my personal journey in life to become a physician.”
Nesheiwat’s appointment marks an unconventional choice for the position of Surgeon General, which has traditionally been filled by public health officials, policy experts, or physicians from major research institutions.
Her nomination comes with additional scrutiny as CityMD, where she serves as a director, recently agreed to pay over $12 million to settle COVID-19 fraud allegations brought by the Department of Justice. The company denied wrongdoing but settled to avoid ongoing legal costs.
Nesheiwat has family connections to Trump’s previous administration through her sister, Julia Nesheiwat, who served as a homeland security adviser. Julia is married to Representative Mike Waltz of Florida, whom Trump has selected as the next national security adviser.
Nesheiwat’s positions on various health issues have drawn attention, including her promotion of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 despite limited evidence of its effectiveness. She has expressed opposition to vaccine mandates while maintaining support for vaccines themselves.
The nomination requires Senate confirmation, where Nesheiwat’s views and qualifications will face bipartisan scrutiny.
Dr. Nesheiwat was a regular on Fox News. She markets a personal wellness product under the brand name BC Boost. The supplement, which displays her photograph on its packaging, contains a blend of vitamins C, B-12, D and zinc. The product’s marketing materials state that users can expect enhanced immune system function within several weeks.
