Trump’s New Pick for Surgeon General Dropped Out of Medical Residency and Has an Inactive Medical License

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Like many of President Donald Trump’s nominees, his new pick for Surgeon General has not followed the typical career path for that position. Dr. Casey Means, a 37-year-old wellness influencer, is drawing criticism over her support for controversial alternative medicine therapies and lack of qualifications.

Trump’s original choice for Surgeon General, former Fox News contributor Janette Nesheiwat, lost favor after she was attacked in a series of social media posts by far-right activist Laura Loomer, a controversial MAGA figure who has managed to stay in the president’s orbit. The White House withdrew Nesheiwat’s nomination and Trump announced in a social media post he was putting up Means’ name next.

Means did earn an MD from Stanford University, but soon diverged from the traditional career path for doctors. After graduation, she was accepted into a residency for head and neck surgery but dropped out before completion.

In contrast, Nesheiwat completed a residency program at the University of Arkansas, is board-certified in family medicine, and was a director of an urgent care provider in New York City.

Normally, residency placements are highly competitive and resident doctors do not withdraw without a plan to pursue a residency in a different specialty. Not completing a residency would mean that a doctor would not be eligible for board certification or be able to be hired for certain positions that entail practicing medicine without the supervision of attending physicians.

Over the past few years, Means has gained fame and influence within various wellness circles, including the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement promoted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She has appeared on numerous podcasts including Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and Megyn Kelly, as well as having her own podcast and newsletter, and was a staunch supporter of Kennedy’s nomination for Health and Human Services Secretary. Her company, Levels, sells continuous glucose monitors and she promotes controversial claims about sugar levels, metabolism, nutrition, autoimmune disorders, and other issues.

Dr. Andrea Love, an immunologist, microbiologist and vocal opponent of anti-vaccine and other MAHA advocates, has sharply criticized Means as peddling “pseudoscience” useless products that are “endorsed by all of the pseudoscience MDs” and for making “unfounded claims about hacking your metabolism.”

Past surgeons general have usually had a long career in public health or education. Several nurses have held the position, including one selected by Trump in his first term and one by President Joe Biden, but again, their résumés included years working in infectious disease research, prevention, and treatment.

Means’ nomination on Wednesday led numerous social media users to note that her medical license was inactive. The FAQ section of her website states that “Dr. Casey is no longer seeing patients and is not able to comment on specific medical conditions or provide any medical guidance,” and encourages her audience to find a doctor she recommends with a list of links and to subscribe to her newsletter.

Her listing with the Oregon Medical Board shows that she was first licensed in 2018 and had declared a speciality of otolaryngology (commonly referred to as “ear, nose, and throat” or “ENT” or “head and neck” surgery). She has no closed medical malpractice claims. The current status of her medical license is listed as “inactive.”