Casey Means: the controversial 'wellness influencer' nominated for surgeon general

President Donald Trump's new nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means, is unlike most prior figures who have held the position. A "wellness influencer" who has notable links to the Make America Healthy Again movement, Means was nominated to replace the president's first choice for surgeon general, former Fox News contributor Janette Nesheiwat — but Means now faces scrutiny of her own.

While Means does have a medical degree, she has never worked in government. Her closeness to another divisive health figure, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is also causing alarm in the health care industry.

Means' background

Means, 37, is a well-known health influencer in the conservative internet space. She attended and graduated from Stanford Medical School and later pursued a surgical residency at Oregon Health & Science University "but dropped out before completing the program," said NPR. Means left the residency because she was "frustrated by what she saw as her field's inability to treat patients' underlying, chronic causes of ill health," according to The Wall Street Journal.

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She eventually started a "functional medicine practice and founded the company Levels, which offers consumers continuous glucose monitors and an app to track their blood sugar," said NPR. Means had an Oregon medical license granted in 2014 but it was rendered inactive in 2024, according to the state's medical board; this means she is "no longer authorized to practice medicine or prescribe medication, although there is no indication of disciplinary action or revocation," said Newsweek.

Surgeon general nomination

Trump nominated Means for surgeon general because she has "impeccable 'MAHA' credentials," the president wrote in a social media post, referencing the "health-conscious" movement heralded by RFK Jr. She will work with RFK Jr. to "reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health," Trump said.

But many have called into question Means' controversial stances on public health matters. She has "echoed some of Mr. Kennedy's skepticism of vaccines, calling on the new administration to study their 'cumulative effects' and to weaken liability protections offered to vaccine makers as a way of encouraging them to develop new shots," said The New York Times. Health experts are "adamantly opposed to trimming the list of recommended immunizations, warning that such changes would trigger outbreaks of deadly infectious diseases."

Means has also described a "dizzying web of influences to blame for the nation's health problems, including corrupt food conglomerates that have hooked Americans on unhealthy diets," said The Associated Press. Both Means and her brother, Calley Means, have become influential in the right-wing health sphere and have made "appearances with some of Trump's biggest supporters, winning praise from conservative pundit Tucker Carlson and podcaster Joe Rogan."

The siblings "often rail against the influence of the pharmaceutical and food industries in their many appearances," said NPR. But Means also goes further with assertions about processed food, "linking changes in diet and lifestyle to a raft of conditions including infertility, Alzheimer's, depression and erectile dysfunction," said the AP. For Means, the top issues plaguing American health are "obesity, diabetes and infertility," and she has also "endorsed raw milk, like Kennedy," said The Hill.

It is up to the U.S. Senate to decide Means' fate, as the surgeon general position must undergo a confirmation hearing. But many — even far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer — have expressed skepticism over the pick. Means "PRAYS TO INANIMATE OBJECTS, COMMUNICATES WITH SPIRIT MEDIUMS, USES SHROOMS AS 'PLANT MEDICINE' AND TALKS TO TREES!" Loomer claimed on X, calling Means a "crack pot."