What To Know About Trump's Surgeon General Pick, Casey Means, & Her Delayed Hearing
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Donald Trump isn't one for picking the most conventional people in his administration. Linda McMahon, co-founder of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), has been involved in a number of scandals, yet she is Trump's education secretary. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News Host, has his own list of controversial moments, and he is Secretary of Defense. And now we have Casey Means, who Trump has tapped to be surgeon general. On her LinkedIn, she describes herself as a "former surgeon turned metabolic health evangelist." And her relationship with modern medicine has some people divided. Means graduated from Stanford Medical School, but considering her background as a wellness influencer and the fact that she doesn't have an active medical license, people are divided as to whether or not Means is the ideal person for the job.
Her confirmation hearing, which had been expected in October, was delayed, though it wasn't over her issues with her background or beliefs in relation to the job. The delay was instead because Means, pregnant with her first child, went into labor.
There isn't all that much that is contentious over postponing a Senate confirmation hearing when someone has a baby; however, the same can't be said for Means as the pick for surgeon general. To understand why opinion is divided over Means's nomination, it's important to look at her background. Means got her undergraduate degree in human biology at Stanford University in 2009, and she went to Stanford Medical School, graduating in 2014. While there, she was a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, which is for those who are "recognized for their compassionate care," according to the Gold Foundation website.
Casey Means left her surgical residency and started a metabolic wellness company
After Stanford, Casey Means started her residency at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in surgery, specializing in otolaryngology, which focuses on the ear, nose, and throat. However, she said that she became increasingly disappointed by conventional medicine's approach to chronic illnesses, and so she dropped out of the program shortly before completion. That's not the perspective everyone has on her leaving. Dr. Paul Flint, who was chairman of her department at OHSU, told the Los Angeles Times that it was actually stress that caused her to drop out. Means had an MD postgraduate license to practice medicine in Oregon from 2014 to July 2019, but the Oregon Medical Board website lists her currently as "inactive" at the time of publication.
In 2019, Means co-founded Levels, "a metabolic health company that empowers individuals to radically optimize their health and wellbeing by providing real-time continuous glucose biofeedback," per The Pulse. It has three membership levels ranging from $24 to $125 per month. And from 2019 to 2022, she worked for the peer-reviewed "International Journal for Disease Reversal and Prevention." Her work there appears to have been focused less on the science and more on poems and art that were published in the journal. Means has even written some of her own poetry, occasionally being assisted by AI.
Means co-wrote the book "Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health" with her brother. The book came out in 2024, and it made the top of The New York Times bestseller list. In it, she writes about how she feels many modern health concerns in America, like diabetes, depression, and dementia, are linked to metabolism and that there are relatively easy lifestyle fixes that can address these.
Casey Means has worked as a wellness influencer and has some controversial opinons
Casey Means has also made money as a wellness influencer, including promoting supplements and teas. Her influencer work has given some people pause about how well-suited that makes her for surgeon general, and some of her non-mainstream beliefs about medicine are also questioned by some. She's skeptical about child vaccine schedules. She's referred to corruption in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), via X. Means is a fan of raw milk, which science has determined can make you sick. And she's also voiced concerns about hormonal birth control and what it does to the body.
If she becomes surgeon general, Means has said that she will no longer work in the influencer world, and she'd sell her stock in Levels. Even so, her nomination isn't supported by everyone. The Center for Science in the Public Interest issued a statement in which they said that Means wasn't qualified for the position. Even some Trump supporters weren't fans. Laura Loomer, far right activist and apparent unofficial Trump advisor, called out Means on X. If confirmed, Means will be working under RFK Jr. Means has worked with him before; she was an advisor during RFK Jr.'s run for presidency.
It was apparently RFK Jr. who helped influence Donald Trump to pick Means as nominee for surgeon general. RFK Jr. is himself another controversial hire. Former surgeon generals have called out RFK Jr., and even many people in RFK Jr.'s own family aren't a fan of his political stances. But it seems safe to say that he's found an ally in Means if her nomination goes forward.