The Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approving the first permanent leader for the nation's top health agency in nearly a year.

The 51-44 vote fell largely along party lines. Schwartz, who served as deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration, will now help the CDC following a year of upheaval at the agency, low morale among staff and uncertainty over its direction. The agency is also contending with a series of leadership changes, budget cuts and a slate of outbreaks, including a resurgence of measles, cyclosporiasis in the U.S. and Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Schwartz faced a contentious confirmation hearing last month as senators on both sides of the aisle questioned how she would navigate vaccine policy under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and whether she would stand up against possible political interference.

"We need a CDC director that will actually stand up to crazy, stupid things being said that undermine faith in immunization," Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.), chair of the Senate's health committee who has clashed with Kennedy over vaccines, told Schwartz during the hearing.

"I will never compromise on the science," Schwartz responded. "I will always, always have the public's health in mind."

On Wednesday, Cassidy said Schwartz had a strong record in public health and service. "There are challenges facing Americans' health today," he said on social media. "I will work with her to face those challenges and regain trust in the CDC."

Schwartz's confirmation follows a tumultuous year at the agency, which had gone without a permanent director since former CDC director Susan Monarez was ousted last year after leading the agency for less than a month. Monarez had clashed with Kennedy over vaccine policy, testifying in front of Congress that she was fired after Kennedy asked her to preapprove vaccine decisions and remove career scientists. Kennedy has denied her characterization of the events.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the White House was looking for a CDC nominee who would minimize controversy. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, has temporarily led the agency since February.

Schwartz has a medical degree from Brown University, a master's degree in public health and a law degree. She is board-certified in preventative medicine. In addition to her time in the Navy, she served in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Schwartz helped lead the first Trump administration's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In posts on Instagram before her nomination, she said as a military physician, her job "was all about readiness."

"It was all about public health prevention, vaccines, early detection," Schwartz said in the post. "If we get that right, we change lives before illness ever begins."