{{Short description|American radiologist (born 1981/1982)}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Nicole Saphier | office = [[Surgeon General of the United States]] | status = Nominee | president = [[Donald Trump]] | term_start = TBD | term_end = | succeeding = [[Vivek Murthy]] | predecessor = [[Vivek Murthy]] | successor = | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|42|2024|4|9}} | birth_place = [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Paul Saphier | children = 3 | education = {{ubl |[[Arizona State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) |[[Ross University School of Medicine|Ross University]] ([[Doctor of Medicine|MD]])}} }} '''Nicole Saphier''' (born 1981 or 1982) is an American radiologist, medical journalist, and author.
In April 2026, President [[Donald Trump]] nominated Saphier to serve as the [[Surgeon General of the United States|surgeon general of the United States]].
==Early life and education== Nicole Saphier was born in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], in 1981 or 1982.<ref name="AFMInfo">{{Cite web |url=https://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/people/authors/trendsetter-to-know-dr-nicole-saphier-breast-cancer-specialist-and-best-selling-author |title=Trendsetter to Know: Dr. Nicole Saphier, Breast Cancer Specialist and Best-Selling Author |date=April 9, 2024 |work=Arizona Foothills Magazine |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref> She became pregnant at 17. Saphier graduated from high school in [[Gilbert, Arizona]].<ref name="WashingtonTimesInfo">{{Cite news |title=Fox News' Dr. Nicole Saphier Writes 'Love, Mom,' Which Chronicles Stories of Mothers' Faith |date=May 7, 2024 |last=Kellner |first=Mark |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/may/7/nicole-saphier-fox-news-medical-commentator-writes/|work=[[The Washington Times]]}}</ref> She graduated from [[Arizona State University]] with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] and from the [[Ross University School of Medicine]] in [[Portsmouth, Dominica]], with a [[Doctor of Medicine]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.inc.com/melissa-angell/trump-drops-wellness-founder-for-surgeon-general-names-third-nominee-for-nations-top-doctor/91337764 |title=Trump Drops Wellness Founder for Surgeon General, Names Third Nominee for Nation's Top Doctor |date=April 30, 2026 |last=Angell |first=Melissa |work=[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.]] |access-date=May 1, 2026}}</ref>
==Career== Saphier performed her residency training at [[Valleywise Health|Maricopa Integrated Health Systems]].<ref name="WashingtonTimesInfo"/> While in residency, she met Paul Saphier;<ref name="AFMInfo"/> they later married and had two children together.<ref name="WashingtonTimesInfo"/> Saphier completed her oncological imaging fellowship at [[Mayo Clinic]] in Arizona and she later practiced as a physician at the [[Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center]], the director of breast imaging at the center's facility in [[Monmouth County, New Jersey|Monmouth, New Jersey]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/30/trump-withdraws-casey-means-nomination-surgeon-general-taps-nicole-saphier/ |title=Trump drops Casey Means as surgeon general nominee, opts for radiologist Nicole Saphier |date=April 30, 2026 |last1=Cooney |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Cirruzzo |first2=Chelsea |last3=Payne |first3=Daniel |work=[[Stat (website)|Stat]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref> and an associate professor at [[Weill Cornell Medicine]].<ref name="USATodayInfo">{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/30/who-is-nicole-saphier-donald-trump-surgeon-general/89875150007/ |title=Donald Trump nominates Dr. Nicole Saphier as US surgeon general |date=April 30, 2026 |last=Ramaswamy |first=Swapna |work=[[USA Today]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref>
In 2018, Saphier was hired as a contributor for [[Fox News]].<ref name="USATodayInfo"/> In March 2020, she contributed to a [[Town hall meeting|virtual town hall]] on the network that featured President [[Donald Trump]] and members of the [[White House Coronavirus Task Force]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/tv-news-roundup-quibi-survive-trailer-sophie-turner-1203542672/ |title=TV News Roundup: Quibi Releases 'Survive' Trailer Starring Sophie Turner |date=March 23, 2020 |last=Rico |first=Klaritza |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref> After Trump nominated her to serve as the [[Surgeon General of the United States|surgeon general of the United States]], Saphier's contract with Fox News was terminated.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/politics/trump-taps-nicole-saphier-surgeon-general/ |title=Trump Taps Fox News Contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier as Surgeon General Nominee |date=April 30, 2026 |last=Bryant |first=Jacob |work=[[TheWrap]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref> In addition, Saphier has hosted ''Wellness Unmasked'', a health and wellness podcast.<ref name="CBSReplacement">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/casey-means-nicole-saphier-us-surgeon-general-trump-nomination/ |title=Trump pulls Casey Means' nomination as surgeon general, naming Nicole Saphier as replacement |date=April 30, 2026 |last=Watson |first=Kathryn |publisher=[[CBS News]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref>
Saphier is a member of the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]'s Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women, and is an advisor to the [[New Jersey Department of Health]].<ref name="NOTUSInfo"/> She has sold herbal [[tincture]]s through a product line known as DropRx.<ref name="NOTUSInfo">{{Cite web |url=https://www.notus.org/healthcare/trump-new-surgeon-general-nominee-nicole-saphier |title=Trump's New Surgeon General Nominee Is a Doctor and Vaccine Mandate Critic |date=April 30, 2026 |last=Manto |first=Margaret |work=[[NOTUS (website)|NOTUS]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref>
==Surgeon General nomination== On April 30, 2026, President Donald Trump withdrew [[Casey Means]]'s nomination to serve as [[Surgeon General of the United States|surgeon general of the United States]] and nominated Saphier to the position. Saphier's nomination was opposed by several individuals within the [[Make America Healthy Again]] movement, including the author [[Vani Hari]], the media personality [[Alex Clark (commentator)|Alex Clark]], and the physician [[Robert W. Malone]], who noted her relatively moderate stance on the movement.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/us/politics/casey-means-surgeon-general-withdraw.html |title=Trump Withdraws Nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General |date=April 30, 2026 |last=Stolberg |first=Sheryl |author-link=Sheryl Gay Stolberg |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref>
==Views== Saphier is a proponent of the Make America Healthy Again movement.<ref name="NJInfo">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nj.com/politics/2026/04/trumps-new-move-could-elevate-this-nj-doctor-to-surgeon-general-heres-what-to-know.html |title=Trump just nominated this N.J. doctor for surgeon general. Here's what to know. |date=April 30, 2026 |last=Moyle |first=Nick |publisher=[[NJ.com]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref> After Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]] claimed that [[paracetamol|acetaminophen]] caused [[autism]], she advised pregnant women to follow the advice of their doctors.<ref name="APNewsNomination">{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-surgeon-general-means-saphier-cebadfb452fb577b6cd5254e2e55d86b |title=Trump pulls nomination for stalled surgeon general nominee Means and says he'll put forth Saphier |date=April 30, 2026 |last1=Swenson |first1=Ali |last2=Kinnard |first2=Meg |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref> Saphier has supported Kennedy's calls for inquiries into increasing rates of autism, though she rejected Kennedy's methods in an opinion article for ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''.<ref name="WSJWithdraws">{{Cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-withdraws-maha-champion-casey-means-as-surgeon-general-nominee-a3784d52 |title=Trump Withdraws MAHA Champion Casey Means as Surgeon General Nominee |date=April 30, 2026 |last1=Whyte |first1=Liz |last2=Siddiqui |first2=Sabrina |last3=Andrews |first3=Natalie |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=May 1, 2026}}</ref>
===COVID-19=== Saphier opposed the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|first Trump administration]]'s [[Communication of the Trump administration during the COVID-19 pandemic|communication about the COVID-19 pandemic]] and stated that "[[politicization of science]]" had occurred in the administration, adding that it continued into the [[Presidency of Joe Biden|Biden administration]].<ref name="AxiosNominee">{{Cite web |url=https://www.axios.com/2026/04/30/trump-new-surgeon-general-nominee-saphier-means |title=Trump Announces New Surgeon General Nominee |date=April 30, 2026 |last1=Nather |first1=David |last2=Reed |first2=Tina |work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref> She praised [[Operation Warp Speed]], an initiative to expedite research into [[COVID-19 vaccine]]s, but criticized [[Biden administration COVID-19 action plan|vaccine mandates imposed]] in the Biden administration.<ref name="WSJWithdraws"/> In 2022, she advocated [[Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic|against mask]] and [[vaccine mandates]] amid the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|pandemic]].<ref name="NOTUSInfo"/> That year, Saphier falsely criticized the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] for holding a vote to mandate schoolchildren receive COVID-19 vaccines; the claim misinterpreted the planned meeting, which was for the [[Vaccines for Children Program]].<ref name="WaPoClaim">{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/19/covid-vaccines-children-cdc-disinformation/ |title=False claim that CDC would require covid vaccines for kids goes viral |date=October 19, 2022 |last1=Diamond |first1=Dan |last2=Sun |first2=Lena |work=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref>
===Healthcare industry=== In ''Make America Healthy Again'' (2020), Saphier opposed the [[Affordable Care Act]] and [[single-payer healthcare]] plans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5857814-nicole-saphier-surgeon-general-nominee/ |title=Who is Nicole Saphier, New Trump Surgeon General Nominee? |date=April 30, 2026 |last=Davis |first=Sarah |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref>
===Transgender health care=== Saphier has been vocally opposed to [[gender-affirming care]], has referred to being [[transgender]] as a "national emergency", and opposed research into [[hormone blockers]].<ref name="guard-4may2026">{{cite news |last1=Schreiber |first1=Melody |title=Who is Nicole Saphier, Trump’s new nominee for US surgeon general? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/04/who-is-nicole-saphier-trump-surgeon-general-nomination |access-date=May 4, 2026 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=May 4, 2026}}</ref>
== Personal life == Saphier is a practicing [[Catholic Church|Catholic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet the Trump surgeon general nominee who kept her baby despite an unplanned pregnancy as a teen |url=https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/meet-the-trump-surgeon-general-nominee-who-kept-her-baby-despite-an-unplanned-pregnancy-as-a |access-date=2026-06-02 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref>
==Bibliography== In 2020, Saphier authored ''Make America Healthy Again: How Bad Behavior and Big Government Caused a Trillion-Dollar Crisis''.<ref name="CBSReplacement"/> The book advocated a prevention-first approach and freedom of choice in healthcare.<ref name="AxiosNominee"/> In 2024, she published ''Love, Mom: Inspiring Stories Celebrating Motherhood'', a chronology of various mothers.<ref name="WashingtonTimesInfo"/> Saphier has additionally authored ''Panic Attack: Playing Politics with Science in the Fight Against COVID-19''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/who-is-nicole-saphier-surgeon-general-nominee-trump-b2968346.html |title= Who is Dr. Nicole Saphier? Trump’s nominee for surgeon general after pulling Means’ nomination |date=April 30, 2026 |last=Feinberg |first=Andrew |publisher=[[The Independent]] |access-date=April 30, 2026}}</ref>
==Awards and recognition== In 2019, Saphier was named as the Top Radiologist of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals.<ref name="NJInfo"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://x.com/NBSaphierMD Nicole Saphier] on [[Twitter|X]] * [https://news.yahoo.com/dr-nicole-saphier-flu-cases-132830851.html <nowiki>Video of Saphier on ‘Fox and Friends Weekend’ discussing flu cases down significantly this [2020] season</nowiki>] * [https://news.yahoo.com/dr-nicole-saphier-gives-timeline-121539207.html Video of Saphier on Fox News giving timeline for U.S. COVID-19 vaccine rollout] * [https://www.nicolesaphiermd.com/ Nicole Saphier Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110140156/https://www.nicolesaphiermd.com/ |date=2023-01-10 }} * <bdi>[https://resident.com/business-leader/2024/03/26/empowering-resilience-dr-nicole-saphiers-journey-from-medicine-to-media Dr. Nicole Saphier Interview with Resident Magazine 'Empowering Resilience: Dr. Nicole Saphier's Journey from Medicine to Media']</bdi>
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saphier, Nicole}} [[Category:1982 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]] [[Category:21st-century American women journalists]] [[Category:21st-century American journalists]] [[Category:21st-century American women writers]] [[Category:21st-century Roman Catholics]] [[Category:American medical journalists]] [[Category:American people of Italian descent]] [[Category:American radiologists]] [[Category:American Roman Catholic writers]] [[Category:American women non-fiction writers]] [[Category:Arizona State University alumni]] [[Category:Catholics from Arizona]] [[Category:Catholics from New Jersey]] [[Category:Fox News people]] [[Category:MS NOW people]] [[Category:Medical doctors from Arizona]] [[Category:Medical doctors from New Jersey]] [[Category:People from Phoenix, Arizona]] [[Category:Women radiologists]] [[Category:Writers from New Jersey]] [[Category:Writers from Scottsdale, Arizona]]